


Forty-Two Judgements

by CrystalFlowers



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: But only if you squint, Fix-It of Sorts, Hurt/Comfort, I demand closure dammit, Post-Season/Series 04, Puzzleshipping, Soul Bond, Yami Yuugi | Atem Has His Own Body, because there was no emotional payoff in season 4
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 11:53:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 48,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24849325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalFlowers/pseuds/CrystalFlowers
Summary: While they’re still recovering from the rise of the Great Leviathan, Yuugi and his friends are thrown into a terrifying series of trials intended to test their strength, morals, and courage. Faced with life or death games, impossible choices, and dark, ancient magic, they will have to confront their past mistakes and put aside their lingering feelings of inadequacy in order to escape.With the Millennium Puzzle on the line, not to mention their own lives, they have no choice but to complete the trials one by one. In the end, they could reach a new, better understanding of one another—or they could lose themselves completely.
Comments: 15
Kudos: 26





	1. Trial One: The Labyrinth

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! A couple things about this story.  
> First, I actually grew up with the 4kids dub of Yu-Gi-Oh, and I’ve never watched the Japanese dub. However, I love the Japanese names, so those are the ones I used for this story. The characterization and dialogue might be closer to the English dub version.  
> Second, this story takes place directly after the events of season 4, but I still decided to use the name Atem for Yami-Yuugi. Nobody really referred to him as Yami after season 3, and calling him the Pharaoh every other sentence felt exhausting and distracting. So even though he doesn’t know his own damn name, he’s Atem here. Oops.  
> Please drop a comment if you get a chance. I’d love to hear from you!

_It was very cold here._

_He wasn’t really sure where here was. He couldn’t quite feel his body, like he wasn’t really attached to it. He should have been familiar with that feeling, considering everything he’d experienced over the past several years, but this was very different. It was like he was deep underwater and it was pressing in on him from all sides, filling his nose and mouth. He was suspended in it, unable to see or feel or hear._

_He tried to speak, call for his friends, maybe, but he couldn’t find his mouth. He wasn’t even sure he was breathing. He wondered, frightened, if this was what it was like to die._

_The fear sliced through him, and still he couldn’t move. Everything was so dark; it reminded him of the moments after his soul had been captured, and everything had disappeared around him. He’d been so scared then, and so alone. He hadn’t been alone like that in a long time, not since solving the Millennium Puzzle._

_This didn’t quite feel the same, but it was close enough that the fear sharpened, digging into his ribs, or where his ribs were supposed to be. He wondered if he’d be here forever, floating in darkness, silence ringing in his ears, all alone. He wanted to scream, but nobody would hear him even if he could find his voice._

_The cold seeped inside him, and he sank deeper._

* * *

Atem was lying on something hard.

He blinked his eyes open. A ceiling made of stone swam above him; the rows of stones were arranged in neat, tidy rows like they’d been placed there carefully by hand. The air was cold and damp and smelled of old things.

Atem sat up and winced, rubbing at his head. He squinted down the hallway into the darkness, but it seemed to go on forever with no end in sight. Everything was eerily silent, the kind of silence that made your ears ring. The longer the silence stretched on, the more the walls of the hallway seemed to close in, smaller and smaller.

Atem shook himself off. As awareness came back, he realized that a familiar weight was missing at his chest; he frowned and looked down at the space where the Millennium Puzzle was supposed to be, but there was nothing there. The Puzzle was gone.

Panic tightened inside Atem’s chest. He didn’t remember losing the Puzzle, and he didn’t remember coming here, either. Even more alarming was that if the Puzzle wasn’t around his neck, he shouldn’t be able to exist like this at all. His spirit should have been trapped inside the walls of the Millennium item, the way it always was.

 _Yuugi_. Atem wasn’t able to sense him at all. It was like the bond between their spirits had snapped down the middle.

He pushed himself unsteadily to his feet, bracing his hand against the cold stone wall. He found himself wondering briefly whether he was still inside the Millennium Puzzle, a part he’d never seen before. But he knew the Puzzle quite well at this point, and he knew what it felt like there. The cold, ancient feeling here was much more sinister than anything he was familiar with. It felt like a large, dark presence was creeping up behind him, waiting silently, preparing to grab him.

Since there was nowhere else to go, Atem started forward down the hallway. His footsteps were loud, echoing against the walls, but it was a relief to have something break through the ringing silence. Having spent so much time trapped inside the Millennium Puzzle, Atem should have been used to silence, but this feeling that something was creeping up behind him was unsettling and unfamiliar.

The hallway seemed to go on forever. Nothing changed—not the lines of stone or the cold or the damp air. After what felt like hours, sounds finally broke through the echoing silence. Familiar sounds.

“This place could be enormous, I’m _not_ wandering aimlessly just to get lost forever.”

“Well, what _are_ we going to do? We can’t just stand here forever.”

“These kinds of things always happen to us. I thought we just _finished_ all the crazy stuff. I mean, is it too much to ask for a little breathing room?”

Atem’s stomach lurched with relief. He picked up his pace, running towards the sounds of his friends’ voices.

The hallway opened up abruptly, expanding into a circular stone room. There were heavy-looking wooden doors along the wall—ten of them. At the center of the circular room, Anzu, Jounuchi, and Honda were arguing with growing intensity. As happy as he was to see them, Atem’s heart sank. He’d been half-expecting to see Yuugi with them, trying to mediate their arguments the way he always did.

Anzu caught sight of Atem first. “Yuugi!” she called, relief brightening her face. Jou and Honda stopped arguing long enough to look in Atem’s direction, and they both grinned.

“Hey, man, there you are,” Honda said. The four of them met in the middle of the room, facing one another. “We were wondering if you’d gotten caught up in all this craziness too.”

“When weird stuff happens, Yuugi is always involved somehow,” Jou said, rolling his eyes.

He was right, to be fair. “How long have you been here?” Atem asked.

“Not long,” Anzu said. “I woke up a few minutes ago in a hallway over there”—she pointed to one of the doors—“but it disappeared as soon as I got here, and that door took its place.”

“Same here,” Jou said. He shoved his hands into his pockets and his brow furrowed in Atem’s direction. “Any idea what’s going on here?”

“No,” Atem said. “I wish I did.”

Anzu’s gaze dropped, and a frown creased her forehead. “Where’s your Millennium Puzzle?” she asked.

Atem’s hand pressed against his chest automatically, where the Puzzle should be. “When I woke up it was gone,” he said. “Whatever we’re doing here might have something to do with it. It could be someone else is after it.”

“ _Again?_ ” Jou said. “Who this time?”

Atem shook his head. “I don’t know, unfortunately.” He glanced towards the doors. “Do any of those open?”

“We tried all of them,” Jou said. “They’re all locked. We’re stuck here forever.”

“Oh, that’s fine,” Anzu said. “Don’t try and be positive.”

Atem stepped over to the wall, examining one of the doors more closely. The wood was dark and glossy and there were elegant iron handles set into each one of them. Atem tugged at one of them and sure enough, the door didn’t budge. “These doors might only open for us when they want to,” he said.

“Then I’ll _make_ them want to,” Jou said. He elbowed Atem out of the way and gripped the door handle with two hands. He braced his foot against the wall and yanked, straining until his face was turning red. The door still didn’t budge.

“Jou, quit it!” Anzu gripped Jou’s shoulders and tugged hard, pulling him away from the door. “You’re going to pop a blood vessel.”

“Well, we can’t just sit here for the rest of our lives twiddling our thumbs,” Jou said. “We’ll starve. We’ll waste away into nothing. It’s only been an hour and I’m already fantasizing about food.”

Atem moved to the next door. It was locked too. “This place isn’t normal,” he said. “I’m guessing we were brought here for a reason.”

Anzu gasped, almost cutting him off. Atem turned to look at her curiously and her gaze was fixed on him, eyes wide. “Wait,” she said. “You’re not Yuugi.”

Atem wasn’t surprised she was the first to notice. “No,” he said. “I’m not.”

Jou and Honda stared blankly in Atem’s direction. Jou blinked, and realization lit his gaze. “Oh,” he said. “You’re the Pharaoh.” He looked over at Anzu. “So, uh, what’s your point exactly?”

Anzu’s forehead creased with worry. “I thought your soul was tied to the Millennium Puzzle,” she said. “That’s what Yuugi told me, anyway.”

“It is,” Atem said. “By all logic, I shouldn’t be here right now. It’s as if my soul has been detached from the Puzzle completely.”

“So, if you’re here,” Anzu said, “where’s Yuugi?”

Atem’s jaw tightened. He looked away and shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said.

“You don’t _know?_ ” Jou said. His gaze turned sharp with panic. “We just got him back, and now he’s just _gone_ again?”

“Maybe he’ll show up, like the rest of us did,” Honda said, but he looked just as worried as Jou and Anzu did.

“I’m not so sure,” Atem said. “I have this bad feeling he’s in trouble.” He glared at the heavy wooden doors. “But if I’m correct, there’s no way to help him while we’re stuck in here.”

“Then let’s get _out_ of here,” Jou said. He lurched towards one of the doors again and gripped the door handle, yanking. Honda had to pry him off this time, nearly getting elbowed in the eye in the process.

At that moment, there was a loud, metallic click from behind them. The four of them turned, startled, to stare across the room. One of the doors swung open before their eyes, revealing a long, dark hallway. The room seemed to drop several degrees, and Atem shivered. None of them moved.

“Well,” Honda said, “I guess that’s our way out.”

“Or it leads somewhere even worse,” Anzu said.

The cold feeling dipped into the pit of Atem’s stomach. He refused to stand here while Yuugi might be in trouble, even if it meant facing a new kind of danger. “It’s the best option we have,” he said. He straightened, and led the way towards the open door. “Let’s go.”

* * *

_Yuugi could hear voices._

_They were very faint, but they grew louder the harder he listened. They were familiar voices, but they were soft and distant, too distant to really make out. Still, Yuugi wanted to answer them. He felt like he’d been trapped here in the darkness for years and years and years, and he was desperate for anything that could drag him out. Anything that was warmth and comfort and light._

_He couldn’t answer the voices. His body was still frozen, his limbs cold and numb and heavy. Even if he could speak, he wouldn’t be able to find his mouth._

_He’d never felt so alone. It hurt, like the loneliness was within his body and freezing him from the inside out. He missed his friends, and he was growing afraid that he’d never see them again. He couldn’t even sense Atem anymore, and Atem had always been a constant presence, steady and comforting. It was like their connection had been severed, and it made the feeling of aloneness grow even sharper._

Please help me _, he thought, as though he could project his thoughts outside his frozen body._ Find me. Please _._

_Nobody answered him. The sharp feeling behind Yuugi’s ribs dug in harder, and he floated in nothingness._

* * *

“It’s so cold here,” Atem muttered.

Jou looked over at him in confusion. The four of them were still walking down the long, dark hallway—they’d been walking for what felt like miles, and there was no end in sight. “What are you talking about?” Jou said. “It’s not cold in here.”

Atem frowned. It felt cold to him, freezing even, like the middle of winter. “Nobody else feels the cold?” he said.

Honda and Anzu both shook their heads. Atem’s frown deepened and he fell silent as they walked. The cold was so pervasive that it made no sense he was the only one who felt it. Maybe this place was just getting to him, messing with his head. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had played mind games with him.

After what felt like a thousand years, the hallway ended, and opened up into two separate paths, the hallway branching off in two different directions. The four of them paused in front of a worn brick wall and Atem squinted at some writing carved high above them.

Jou groaned. “Not more hallways,” he said. “I can’t walk any longer, my legs will fall off.”

Atem raised his eyes, studying the new hallway they’d walked into. The wall in front of them wasn’t enclosed the way the hallway behind them had been—rather, these walls ended several feet above them and then opened into pure blackness. There was no sky above them, no ceiling, nothing. It was like they were in some kind of dark, empty void.

“Can anyone read that?” Anzu said, pointing at the writing up on the wall.

Atem turned his gaze back to the text. He walked a little closer, craning his neck. The words were small, almost too small to read, but as he drew closer he realized that they were hieroglyphics.

Jou groaned again, louder this time. “Oh, _no_ ,” he said. He leaned forward, bracing his hands on his knees. “I knew there was something weird about this. I _knew_ it was going to be something crazy. God, I’m so sick of this shit.”

“Jou, calm down,” Anzu said.

“Calm _down_?” Jou rounded on her, his eyes huge and wild with panic. “We’re stuck in a death dungeon. Someone is probably trying to kill us. You want me to just chill out about that?”

“Dude!” Honda reached for Jou’s shoulders and rested a hand on top of his head. “Deep breaths, man. It’s gonna be fine.”

Anzu turned her gaze to Atem. “Pharaoh,” she said tentatively, “can you…read those symbols?”

Atem narrowed his eyes up at the markings. Though his old self had started to come back to him, his memories still largely evaded him. “I can try,” he said anyway. There was probably no hope in them getting out of here if he couldn’t.

The others looked at him expectantly. Atem tried to ignore the scrutiny and focused his gaze on the stone markings, hard enough that his temples began to throb. He recognized some of the symbols, but most of them were unfamiliar. At first he thought he’d only be able to read a handful of the words, which wouldn’t be very helpful, but after a while something clicked in his mind.

When he stopped focusing so hard, it was easier for the words to just come to him. He did recognize the symbols, he realized. The knowledge seemed to exist in the corner of his mind, like it had been lingering at the back of his consciousness until he’d needed to access it. “The Trials of the Damned,” he read, the words sending a chill up his spine. “What you seek lies at the center of the labyrinth. Complete the first trial before the time runs out, or what you have lost will be gone for eternity.”

“Trials of the Damned?” Anzu whispered. Her voice was thin shaky.

“It said _what you have lost_ ,” Jou said. “Do you think…it’s talking about…?”

Anzu squeaked in terror. She whipped her head around, staring in Jou’s direction. “Yuugi?” she said, her voice sharp and high-pitched.

Atem’s gut twisted harshly inside his body. He remembered this feeling, the knowledge that he’d failed his closest friend, that he’d lost the person most important to him. Even if it wasn’t directly his fault this time, the guilt was still there. He should have known. He should have been able to keep Yuugi safe this time.

“Well, what are we waiting for then?” Jou said, making to march forward, but Atem reached for his arm, stopping him.

“Wait,” he said. “We need to do this correctly. We only have so much time.”

“Yeah, exactly!” Jou said, yanking his arm free. “So you want to _wait_?”

“Yuugi’s life might be on the line here, Jou,” Atem said. “We can’t go rushing in without some kind of strategy, or we might be too late.”

Jou sighed and relaxed a little, if reluctantly, and Atem let go of his arm to focus. They needed some way of marking their path, so they’d know where they’d been. Otherwise, they might end up running in circles. Splitting up was an option too, in the hopes that one of them would reach the center, but the idea of that sent a bitter taste through Atem’s mouth. None of them knew what was lurking in this labyrinth, and splitting up might put all of them into too much danger.

“All right,” he said, after a moment. “We need to mark our path somehow. We’ll just end up getting lost otherwise.”

“I think I have a pencil,” Anzu said. She dug around in her pockets and emerged with a sharpie. Atem had a brief, visceral memory of the time Anzu had used that sharpie on the backs of their hands.

“Perfect,” Atem said. He glanced in both directions and then chose arbitrarily to take the left path. “Let’s go.”

Even with Anzu marking their path as they turned each corner, they somehow found themselves walking along the same paths again and again. They would turn what seemed like a new corner and Atem would catch sight of a black mark on the edge of the stone. They tried new strategies and seemed to go in every possible direction, and still they found themselves circling back to familiar places. “This labyrinth is impossible,” Jou despaired, fifteen minutes into their search. He reached for his hair, rubbing at his head jerkily like he planned on ripping his hair straight from his scalp. “We’re never going to make it to the middle. So much for your genius strategy, Yuug.”

Atem frowned at the walls of the labyrinth. He pressed one hand against them, tracing the cool lines of the stones. The entire time they’d been here, a feeling had grown inside of him, like the stones were alive somehow, shifting and humming beneath their feet and around their bodies. “I have the feeling this place is messing with us,” he said. “Like it’s changing itself so we get turned around.”

Anzu wrapped her arms around her ribs. “I feel it too,” she said. “It’s like the whole thing is…is laughing at us.”

At another time, that might have sounded ridiculous, but Atem knew exactly what she meant. “We can’t give up,” he said. “Yuugi is counting on us.”

“Maybe there’s something we’re missing,” Honda said. “Like there’s more to the trial than we thought there was.”

Atem wondered that, too, but he couldn’t begin to guess what they were missing. “Maybe,” he said, and then he sighed. “Let’s keep walking. Eventually we’re bound to find the right path.”

The labyrinth seemed more determined to trick them now, like it was deliberately playing with their eyesight. The stones seemed to shift right in front of Atem’s eyes and undulate beneath his feet, entire hallways closing off behind them and opening up where they hadn’t been before. Atem grew dizzy and his head ached from trying to keep track of where they’d been. Their markings weren’t helping at all anymore.

“This place is giving me a headache,” Honda said, kicking one of the walls for good measure.

“How much time do we have left?” Anzu said worriedly.

Atem shook his head. It was impossible to tell, but the whole time they’d been here he thought he could hear the sound of trickling sand, like it was draining through an hourglass. It was a constant reminder at the back of his head that they were running out of time—a constant reminder that Yuugi would disappear into these shifting walls and endless inky blackness.

The thought of that twisted something sharp in Atem’s gut, and the air around him seemed to drop by another few degrees, like a cold breeze was tickling at the back of his neck. With it came what sounded like a soft voice, calling his name, yelling for help. He stiffened and whipped his head around, searching wildly down the hallway they’d just walked down. All that met him was endless darkness, but—he could have _sworn_ —

“Yuugi?” Anzu said, startled, when she saw Atem’s sudden change in expression. “What is it?”

“I thought…” Atem frowned, shook his head. “I thought maybe I heard something.”

“What?” Jou said. He came closer. “What did you hear?”

Atem closed his eyes. He concentrated on what he’d felt a moment ago. For a moment all sensation evaded him and he thought he’d imagined it, the feeling borne from wishful thinking maybe, but it wasn’t long before it came again—the cold breeze, the whispered voice, saying his name this time. With it came a sharp feeling of terror and desperation that jabbed Atem straight at the center of his chest. It was a feeling that didn’t belong to him. Someone else was calling for help.

His eyes snapped open. “This way,” he said, starting forward.

The others exchanged bewildered glances behind him, but their footsteps started after him, following. Atem paused as they reached another crossroads, two paths branching in different directions. Atem took a moment to catch his breath, and then closed his eyes again. When the voice came to him it was stronger this time, and Atem’s heart leapt hopefully, beating in his throat. Now that it was closer, Atem could recognize the voice without a doubt.

“Which way now?” Honda said.

Atem opened his eyes and glanced down the left hallway. “This way,” he said, turning.

“Are you sure?” Anzu said.

Atem nodded. He’d never been so sure of anything. “I can hear his voice,” he said. “Yuugi. It’s like he’s calling for us.”

His three friends exchanged more glances. “You can… _huh?_ ” Jou said. “Are you sure that’s not just the labyrinth playing tricks on us again?”

“Perhaps,” Atem said. Privately, however, he didn’t think so. He knew what Yuugi’s presence felt like, and what he was sensing now couldn’t be anything else. “It’s not like we have any better options.”

“He’s got a point,” Honda said. He clapped Atem on the shoulder. “Lead the way, man.”

With his friends’ trust, Atem began to follow the voice he was hearing, through hallway after hallway, until the presence was so loud that Yuugi might as well have been right in front of them. The four of them finally paused, breathing hard, in front of a pair of heavy metal doors, and stared up at them, stunned.

There were intricate carvings in the surface of the doors. They looked to be telling a story. Atem searched for hieroglyphics, hoping to understand what the carvings were trying to tell him, but he didn’t find any. He could have spent an hour just standing there looking over the various carvings, but they didn’t have time.

He approached the door and Jou joined him, each of them gripping one of the handles. They pulled, hard, and the doors scraped loudly, creaking open. The four of them slipped inside the opening, and found themselves in an enclosed stone room. It was freezing in here; Atem found himself shivering hard the moment they stepped inside, like his body had been doused in cold water.

There were more markings on these walls, telling more stories, complex images and intricate pictures and characters Atem couldn’t make out. The room was otherwise empty, except for the glowing blue figure at the far side of the room, so bright that Atem had to squint and shield his eyes for a moment while they adjusted.

He lowered his hand to get a better look, and his eyes went wide. The figure was Yuugi, his eyes closed, his body glowing softly. He was trapped in something blue and clear and solid, something that almost looked like ice, or crystal. Atem shuddered and the cold feeling in his own limbs heightened. He understood why now.

“Yuugi,” Anzu whispered.

Atem stepped forward, but before he could move any closer a voice resonated along the walls, like it was speaking from all around him. The voice was distorted, neither male nor female or anything in between. It made the walls and the floor seem to vibrate.

 _You have done well to make it this far_ , the voice said. _Your trials have only just begun. Your courage, strength, and character will be tested to the very limits of your endurance. Complete them, and your Millennium Puzzle will be yours once again._

The voice almost sounded familiar, but in a way like Atem had only dreamt it before. The familiarly slipped through his fingers like smoke or water, insubstantial, impossible to get a firm grasp on.

 _Trial one is complete_ , the voice said. _Take your prize._

The glow around Yuugi’s figure grew brighter, blinding, and the ice around his body began to crack. Atem shielded his eyes again and he heard groans from his friends as they did the same. There was a shattering sound, like glass, and then the light faded. Atem raised his eyes, squinting.

The ice was gone and Yuugi floated, suspended, for a moment in the air. He began to fall towards the stone floor.

Atem lurched forwards, but Jou and Honda were faster. They caught Yuugi midair, stopping him from hitting the ground, and Atem relaxed in relief. He and Anzu joined the others and the four of them looked over Yuugi with worry; Yuugi was much too still, his eyes closed, his face pale.

“Is he…?” Anzu’s voice choked off and she didn’t finish.

“I think he’s breathing,” Jou said. His arm was around Yuugi’s shoulders, and he shivered. “Man, he’s freezing.”

Atem reached out for Yuugi’s hand. He pressed his fingertips to Yuugi’s wrist, searching for a heartbeat. It was there, but beneath that, Atem could sense the same thing he’d felt the entire time they were wandering around this labyrinth—the presence of Yuugi’s spirit, as bright and persistent as it had ever been. Atem relaxed in relief at the feeling. Being unable to sense Yuugi’s spirit had felt like missing a limb.

“He’s all right,” Atem said, and three pairs of eyes turned to look at him with worry.

“Are you sure?” Anzu said. “How do you know?”

“I can sense his spirit,” Atem explained. “I could sense it the moment we walked into this labyrinth. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

His friends relaxed. “All right,” Honda said. “I’ll get him out of here. Jou, help me, would you—”

Jou helped heft Yuugi’s lifeless body onto Honda’s back. The four of them had barely gotten to their feet when the floor suddenly rumbled, pitching violently beneath them, nearly throwing Yuugi back to the ground. “Shit,” Jou said. “What the hell?”

“We need to get out of here,” Atem said. He despaired, briefly, at the images carved into the walls and the door being left behind, but if the labyrinth was about to collapse they didn’t want to be anywhere near it.

“How are we going to find the way out of here?” Jou said, as they raced for the exit, slipping out the heavy metal doors. “We only got here because you were following Yuugi’s voice or whatever.”

“We’re just going to have to give it our best shot,” Atem said grimly.

Fortunately, it seemed as though the labyrinth—or whatever entity was controlling it—wanted them to escape, perhaps because the trial was already completed. They turned a couple corners and the exit was staring them right in the face; they bolted towards it together, just barely stumbling into the dark hallway when the entrance to the labyrinth crumbled before their eyes, sealing off behind them.

The four of them exhaled in a simultaneous breath of relief. Honda shifted Yuugi on his back, and he and Jou together lifted him to the ground, leaning him against the wall of the hallway so they could catch their breaths before continuing on. “God,” Honda groaned, rolling his shoulders and then wincing. “He’s heavy for someone so tiny.”

Atem knelt at Yuugi’s side, and Anzu did the same at his other side. They exchanged a worried look across Yuugi’s limp figure. “That voice we heard in the cavern,” Anzu said. “It wasn’t…I mean…you didn’t _recognize_ it or something, did you?”

Atem shook his head. He was worried that whoever brought them here was after more than the Puzzle—after the power of the Pharaoh, possibly. If that was the case, it was likely that Atem _had_ known them before, in another lifetime, in the lifetime that didn’t really belong to him and didn’t exist beyond a vague, clouded feeling somewhere inside him.

It frustrated him, that they might have been brought here because of him, and he didn’t even know why, simply because he couldn’t _remember._ The feeling of frustration was all too familiar. Every enemy they’d encountered over the years had harbored a feeling of resentment or a grudge towards him, and Atem’s friends had faced the consequences because of that. Atem wished just once that he hadn’t inadvertently put them in danger, that he’d been given some choice in the matter.

He glanced back at Yuugi, who always seemed to receive the worst consequences of all. The guilt burned, acrid and bitter, at the back of Atem’s throat. Without a doubt, Yuugi would have been better off if Atem hadn’t appeared in his life.

Yuugi groaned, then, and shifted. Anzu gasped and Jou and Honda flew over to join them, kneeling in front of Yuugi on the ground. The four of them held their breaths, watching as Yuugi’s eyelids fluttered. He sighed, and didn’t open his eyes.

“Yuugi?” Atem said, when he couldn’t continue waiting.

Yuugi’s forehead creased. His eyes slid open, his gaze bemused and glassy. He blinked several times and his eyes focused on Atem’s face. For a brief, terrifying moment, there didn’t seem to be any recognition there, and Atem’s stomach dropped like a rock.

Yuugi’s gaze flickered from Atem to Jou, Honda, and Anzu, and then back again as the confusion on his forehead deepened. He blinked several more times and Atem was about to speak, but before he could find any words Yuugi sat bolt upright suddenly, his eyes blowing wide. He was staring at Atem again, this time in pure disbelief.

He reached out with one hand. Atem watched, confused, as Yuugi touched a tentative finger to Atem’s face. Yuugi didn’t move, just continued to stare, his hand resting against Atem’s jaw. “…Yuugi?” Atem ventured, when Yuugi had been silent for several long moments.

Yuugi blinked a few more times. “You’re real,” he said.

Atem’s confusion dissipated, and he smiled wryly. “Yes,” he said. “I suppose so.”

Yuugi’s gaze turned amazed and he pressed his fingertips against Atem’s cheek. There was something overwhelmingly different about this—they’d never really been able to touch physically, not like this anyway. One of them was always in spirit form. Speaking to one another in the Millennium Puzzle wasn’t quite the same. Yuugi’s hand was very cold, maybe from being encased in ice, but Atem thought he could feel the steady, reassuring beat of his heart beneath the light contact.

Jou cleared his throat pointedly, and Yuugi tore his gaze away from Atem’s face to look over at his friends. He smiled, so broadly it looked like his face was going to split in two. “You all okay,” he said. His voice was a little rough, a bit breathy, like he hadn’t used it in a while. He glanced from them to Atem and then back again. “Can you…I mean… _see_ him?”

“Who, your alter ego over there?” Jou said, jerking his thumb towards Atem. “I mean, yeah. Unless we’re all going insane. Or we’re under some form of mutual hallucination.”

“So you’re really here,” Yuugi said, looking at Atem again. He shook his head, bewildered. “How is that possible? I thought only dark magic could do that kind of thing, and it was always an illusion.”

“You’re right,” Atem said. “I don’t know, Yuugi. I’m still unsure what we’re all doing here in the first place.”

“Where is _here_ , anyway?” Yuugi said, looking around at the hallway. “The last thing I remember…” His brow furrowed, and he shivered. “It was so cold. I couldn’t move, and I couldn’t see anything. I thought I’d be trapped there forever. But then…I heard…” His frown deepened. “I’m not sure. I thought I could hear voices. Your voices.”

Anzu reached for Yuugi’s hand and squeezed. “You must have been so afraid,” she said.

Yuugi shrugged. “It’s nothing I couldn’t handle,” he said.

He was trying to appear nonchalant, but Atem knew him better than that. Even if he couldn’t hear Yuugi’s thoughts anymore, he could see the lingering terror written across Yuugi’s features, no matter how much Yuugi was trying to hide it.

“Whoever brought us here wants to put us through a series of trials,” Atem said. “Something to test our character and our courage. You were…the bait, I suppose, for he first trial.” His jaw tightened. “Whoever brought us here also trapped you in the middle of it.”

Yuugi stared at him. “Oh,” he said.

“See?” Jou said. “Totally normal. Par for the course. Makes perfect sense, in my opinion.”

Yuugi’s hand went to his chest, and he glanced down when he felt what was missing. “The Millennium Puzzle,” he guessed. “That’s the bait for the next trial.”

Atem nodded. “That’s my guess,” he said. “But who knows if we’ll even get it back, if we complete their games.”

“Well,” Jou said, hopping up. “Only one way to find out, right? What are we waiting for?”

Honda groaned and followed his lead. “I just hope there isn’t more running involved,” he said. “I’m not in good enough shape for that.”

Atem eyed Yuugi doubtfully. Yuugi’s skin was still alarmingly pale and he was staring down at his hands, as though struggling to absorb all of this new information. When he noticed Atem scrutinizing him, however, he offered a smile. “I’m fine,” he said, and Atem wondered if his thoughts were written across his own face, too. “It’s just a lot to deal with at once. But this is nothing we haven’t faced before, right?”

Atem nodded reluctantly. “Are you sure you’re all right?” he said. “We can wait here for a little while until you’re strong enough.”

Yuugi shook his head. “I can’t just sit here,” he said. He pushed himself off the floor and Atem reached out to help him, pulling him to his feet. Yuugi swayed briefly and then righted himself, squaring his shoulders with a new determination. He looked around at his friends, and his expression seemed to relax. “I’m glad we’re all together again,” he said. “I could hear your voice while I was trapped in there, but I couldn’t call out to you. I kept trying and trying, but it was like I couldn’t find my voice.”

Jou grinned and reached over to ruffled Yuugi’s hair. “You can’t get rid of us that easily, Yuug,” he said. “Be glad your doppelgänger over there has some kind of sixth sense when it comes to you, or we never would have found you.”

Yuugi looked over at Atem, puzzled. “I followed the sound of your voice through the labyrinth,” Atem explained. “It was like I could hear you trying to call out to us.”

It sounded a little ridiculous, having said it out loud, but Yuugi just nodded, like it made perfect sense. “Okay,” he said, facing down the dark hallway. “Let’s go find the second trial.”


	2. Trial Two: Pathway of Darkness

This wasn’t really that bad, Yuugi reasoned.

As he walked alongside his friends down what appeared to be an endless stretch of hallway, he considered this Trapped-Underground-in-a-Death-Trial thing, and so far it didn’t even rate in the top five worst things they’d been through. Now that he was with his friends, everything felt a lot more manageable. He felt calmer.

He’d been able to hear them, while he was trapped. Their voices were faint and muffled, but the sound had still been comforting. Now, watching Jou and Honda complain about their legs being tired while Anzu shoved them and told them to get over it, his chest felt warm and he found himself smiling. Sure, they were in danger here, but they were in it together. There were so many battles Yuugi had faced where he’d felt so achingly alone.

He looked over at Atem, who was walking next to him. He remembered Atem’s voice most clearly while he’d been under. Even though their connection had been severed somehow, it seemed like it still existed in some form, or Atem wouldn’t have been able to find him in that labyrinth.

It was so strange, seeing him solid and breathing and _there_ right at Yuugi’s shoulder. Yuugi couldn’t stop staring at him; he kept glancing over, again and again, without realizing he was doing it. Atem looked in Yuugi’s direction, like he could feel Yuugi’s gaze, and he frowned. “Are you still cold?” he asked.

“Huh?” Yuugi said. He was still shivering lightly—he hadn’t noticed, really. He’d been so cold for so long that it had faded to the back of his mind. “Oh. No, it’s fine.”

Atem sighed quietly. “I’m sorry you got caught up in all of this again,” he said. “It seems like every time something goes wrong, you get trapped in the middle of it.”

Yuugi raised his eyebrows. The pure remorse in Atem’s voice caught him off guard and for a moment Yuugi just stared, wordless. “Pharaoh,” he said, “whatever’s going on, it’s not your fault.”

Atem didn’t respond. He was silent for a moment. “Finding out you were gone again,” he said finally, slowly, like he was choosing his words carefully, “after everything that happened recently…”

“Yeah, but I’m all right,” Yuugi said. He smiled. “I’m fine.”

Atem’s expression relaxed a little, although the tightness around his eyes lingered. The expression wasn’t new—Yuugi saw it all the time now, ever since they’d escaped the Orichalcos. Yuugi didn’t really know how to talk about that kind of thing. The emotions were too heavy, like they’d filled his body with rocks. Bringing up all that hurt and fear would mean digging through all of that, and he worried that underneath it there would be something even worse.

“You said you could hear me calling out to you while you were in the labyrinth,” Yuugi said, trying to lighten the conversation a little. “Does that mean our connection is still there somehow, even without the Millennium Puzzle?”

Atem’s gaze turned thoughtful. “I’m sure it’s still there in some form,” he said. “But I can’t hear your thoughts anymore or sense your emotions, the way I usually can. Perhaps it’s different for you.”

Yuugi shook his head. “I can’t either,” he said. He gave a dry smile. “It’s really strange, actually. I got so used to hearing your thoughts and sensing your presence nearby. It almost makes me feel uneasy, having that gone.”

Atem nodded in agreement. “Perhaps the Millennium Puzzle is what keeps us bound together,” he said. “And with it gone, that bond has weakened.”

“And…any idea how _this_ happened?” Yuugi asked, reaching over to poke Atem in the arm, marveling at how solid he was.

Atem smiled over at him. “No,” he said. “Is it strange? We’ve never been separated like this before, after all.”

“It’s just different,” Yuugi said. “I bet it’s weirder for you than it is for me.”

Atem shrugged. He raised his hand and looked at his palm, as though trying to find answers in the lines of his skin. “I didn’t really give it much thought,” he said. “My soul has been on many different planes of existence over the past five thousand years. How I exist in this world—whether it be tied to you, or within the Millennium Puzzle—it’s ceased to matter much.”

This separation between them felt more natural now than it might have been when they were in Duelist Kingdom, for instance, and for a moment Yuugi reveled in how different Atem was from just a few years ago. Maybe it was something about their time spent apart due to the Orichalcos, but Atem felt more like his own person now more than he ever had before. Although his soul still depended on Yuugi for survival, Atem had reclaimed his own identity.

Atem smiled again, and tilted his head curiously. “What is it, Yuugi?” he said, and Yuugi realized he’d been staring again.

Yuugi shook his head. “Sorry,” he said. “It’s nothing.”

Atem chuckled. “It’s more frustrating than I expected, not being able to hear your thoughts,” he said.

Yuugi smiled in response. “I was just thinking about how different you seem now,” he said. “It’s a good kind of different. I guess I just never thought about it much before.”

“You’ve changed quite a bit yourself, Yuugi.”

Yuugi made a noncommittal noise at the back of his throat. “I’ve always wanted to be more like you,” he said. “More…brave, I guess. More confident. I’m not sure I’ll ever really get there.”

“You _are_ brave, Yuugi,” Atem said, quietly. “You spend so much time doubting yourself that you never see how brave you really are.”

Atem had told him that many times over the years— _“in another time, you could have been Pharaoh”_ —and yet Yuugi still struggled to believe it. He forced a smile, and shook off the lingering feelings of doubt that gnawed at the back of his head. “Thanks, Pharaoh,” he said.

Atem’s frown deepened, like he knew Yuugi was just brushing off the subject, but before he could push the issue, Jou’s voice echoed from down the hallway: “Hey, hurry up! We’re almost there!”

Almost _where_? Yuugi wondered. But he picked up the pace, he and Atem rushing to catch up with the others. The hallway finally ended and opened somewhere new, and Yuugi found himself standing in a circular stone room. There were nine heavy-looking wooden doors set into the wall. “One of the doors is gone,” Jou said pointing to each one of the doors in turn as though counting them. “There were ten before, right? That must mean that we completed the first trial.”

Anzu groaned. “How are we going to survive _nine more_ of these? I bet they’re only going to get worse now.”

Yuugi approached the doors to look at them more closely. The hallway behind them had already closed behind them, like it had never been there, and these doors were the only exits left. Yuugi pressed his ear against one of them like he’d be able to hear through to the other side, but it was eerily silent. The wood was cool against Yuugi’s skin.

“Yuugi?” Honda said. “Do you hear something, man?”

Yuugi stepped away from the door and shook his head. He headed over to join his friends. “Have you all been here before?” he asked.

“This is where we ended up after we woke up here,” Anzu said. “One of these doors opened and led us into the labyrinth.” She folded her arms across her chest and looked uneasily around at the remaining doors. “I guess we just wait for another one to open.”

Waiting felt worse than anything else, somehow. None of them knew what danger would be lurking behind the next door that opened, and speculation only brought worst case scenarios and horrifying possibilities. The room seemed too small to stand around in—Yuugi had never been particularly claustrophobic, but it felt like the walls were closing in tighter and tighter the longer they stood around.

Yuugi looked over and found Jou’s gaze fixated on him, his nose wrinkled and his brow furrowed like he was concentrating hard on something. Yuugi reeled back at the expression. “What?” he said. “Jou, why are you looking at me like that?”

Jou’s eyes flickered from Yuugi’s face to Atem’s, and then back again. “I’ve never seen you standing side by side like this,” he said. “I’m just trying to see all the differences.”

“They don’t look much alike at all, now that I’m seeing both of you at once,” Honda said, turning his gaze to Yuugi and Atem as well. “I mean, obviously you’re kind of similar with the hair and stuff, but I have no idea why we ever thought you were the same person.”

Yuugi’s face felt hot under the scrutiny. “Can you guys cut it out?” he said. “This is making me uncomfortable.”

“The hair is similar, but I think their eyes are the same color too,” Anzu said, joining the other two and fixing her gaze on Yuugi and Atem. “The rest is pretty different.”

“Oh my god, stop _staring_ at me,” Yuugi groaned, covering his face with both hands. Atem laughed quietly next to him.

“Relax, Yuug,” Jou said, throwing an arm around Yuugi’s shoulders and ruffling his hair. “You know what I would give for a body double? They could do all my chores for me and I’d just get to chill out. What a life.”

“That is _not_ how it works,” Yuugi said.

They were so busy arguing that none of them heard the metallic click of another door. It wasn’t until it was creaking loudly open that the five of them went silent, turning towards the sound. On the other side of the open door was another dark hallway, so dark that Yuugi couldn’t see how long it went on for or what might be at the other end.

For several moments none of them moved. It was Atem who stepped forward eventually, his gaze fixed on the open door. “We’ll never get out of here if we refuse to play their games,” he said. “Let’s go.”

* * *

Yuugi blinked his eyes open to total darkness.

It was like the darkness had swallowed them, the moment they’d stepped through the open door. It had surrounded them, thick and cold and filling Yuugi’s nose and mouth and eyes. He’d expected another long hallway to walk down, and instead there was only blackness and the sudden, alarming sensation of falling.

He squinted out into the darkness. There was solid ground beneath him, and he thought he could make out large, vague shapes in the distance, but his eyes refused to adjust. There didn’t seem to be any light coming from anywhere.

Even more frightening, Yuugi’s friends weren’t with him anymore. He looked around for them, expecting them to be next to him, and his stomach dropped out when he discovered he was alone. He felt freezing cold again all of a sudden, like the air had dropped by several dozen degrees. Yuugi shivered and curled his arms around his ribs. His breath fogged out in front of his face in a cloud of white mist.

Just when he’d started to shake off the feeling of ice all around his body, too. Lovely.

There was a _whoosh_ sound behind him and he jumped, yelping in surprise. He spun around, nearly falling over, and shielded his eyes at a sudden bright light. A small fire had sputtered to life a few feet away, illuminating the grass in a perfect circle. Yuugi approached the fire and knelt down beside it to warm his hands, and found a wooden torch resting in the grass beside the flames.

He felt a little better with a lit torch in hand, but the pitch-darkness still made him feel uneasy. His eyes were barely beginning to adjust and he thought he could make out trees in the distance, but in between them were other, more sinister shapes, ones that twisted and warped and stretched the longer he looked at them. The shapes almost looked like faces, but they were wrong, too long or too wide.

They made Yuugi feel as though he was being watched. Shivers skipped up his spine, leaving trails of unease behind them.

Yuugi shook himself off. “Okay,” he muttered. “All right. I can do this.” He steeled himself and stood, taking his torch with him. They were just in his imagination, he told himself. His mind was playing tricks, trying to shape the darkness into something tangible, something that wasn’t there at all. He curled his fingers more tightly around his torch and marched, determined, into the blackness.

The light from the torch didn’t seem to make much of a dent. It was like the blackness was something physical, clinging to the air, like fog or smoke. Yuugi spent almost twenty minutes skirting around trees and narrowly avoiding slamming headfirst into them. It seemed to get colder the longer he was here, his skin pebbling with goosebumps, his body wracked with shivers, his fingers going numb around his torch. He winced as the needles of the trees scratched his arms.

There was still no sign of his friends. Yuugi closed his eyes briefly to see if he could sense Atem’s presence, the way Atem had sensed his, but Yuugi either didn’t have the same ability that Atem did or they were too far apart, because all that met him was silence. A familiar feeling of loneliness crept up inside Yuugi’s body, clawing at his ribs and his spine. He shivered harder than ever.

He wasn’t even sure where he was supposed to be going—he wasn’t looking for anything in particular, except for his friends. For all he knew, he wasn’t supposed to enter this forest at all.

The rustling of a something behind him made him pause, and he turned toward the sound, raising his torch. “Pharaoh?” he ventured, stepping closer tentatively. He squinted into the darkness and thought he could make out a figure somewhere beyond the line of trees, but it didn’t resemble anything close to a person. Instead, the air twisted and changed shape and a pair of red eyes emerged from the blackness, fixing on Yuugi’s face.

Yuugi froze in place, hardly daring to breathe. An enormous black figure rose above him, so big it nearly reached the tips of the trees. Two rows of sharp teeth bared themselves at him and a low growl rumbled through the ground, and Yuugi’s hair stood up on end.

The torch in his hand slipped from his numb fingers, and fizzled out in a puddle on the ground. The creature growled sharply, and its eyes flashed. Yuugi didn’t hesitate another second—he turned on his heel and ran.

Without any light, Yuugi had no way to tell where he was going. He staggered blindly across damp, uneven ground, panting and shivering and just barely avoiding the trunks of trees. It was almost like the tree roots and the branches were reaching out for him, curling around his ankles and his arms, trying to pull him to a stop and yank him to the ground. The darkness felt thicker, like syrup, as though it was trying to slow him down. It reminded him of the feeling of running within a dream, when your legs were too heavy and everything was in slow motion.

He wasn’t sure what took him down, eventually—one moment he was running for his life, and the next something caught him, throwing him facedown into the dirt. Yuugi scrabbled for purchase on the ground and turned over, breathing hard, searching wildly in the darkness for the sharp-toothed creature.

A low growl was the only warning he got before the enormous, red-eyed figure was looming over him, its gaze hungry and its teeth glistening. Yuugi’s body wouldn’t obey him, as though the terror had frozen him in place. Roots curled around his arms and legs, holding him to the ground, making him easy prey.

_Get up, get up, get up._

The creature came closer, its growling so loud now that it was making Yuugi’s ears ring. The closer it grew, the larger Yuugi realized it was. It was large enough to swallow him whole. The creature was so close that Yuugi could smell its breath, rancid and sour like milk that had gone bad.

_Get up, get up, RUN—_

Yuugi reached for the nearest object he could find, and his fingers curled around something rough and cool. A tree branch. He swung it at the creature’s face, inches from his own now, and received an angry screech in response. Yuugi tossed aside the branch and used the moment of surprise to his advantage, scrambling to his feet.

Yuugi continued running, until his lungs were aching and his head was pounding. He ran until he staggered suddenly into someone else, nearly bowling both of them over. Hands caught Yuugi’s shoulders, keeping him upright.

“Yuugi?” a familiar voice said.

Yuugi nearly collapsed with relief. “Pharaoh!” he said. He couldn’t see well in the darkness but he reached out for Atem’s shoulders, gripping tightly. “We can’t stay here, we need to run. There’s something—something after us—”

“Yuugi, calm down,” Atem said. “What are you talking about? What’s wrong?”

Yuugi looked over his shoulder, back the way he’d come—or back the way he was pretty sure he’d come. Everything in this forest looked the same. For all he knew, it was only a few square feet wide and he’d just been running in circles.

There was nothing there when he looked back, no hungry eyes or sharp teeth or enormous black figure. Yuugi blinked several times in confusion. He’d been sure the creature had been right behind him, ready to sink its teeth into him, but it was like it had never been there now. Yuugi’s head was spinning.

“Yuugi?” Atem said, and Yuugi turned his gaze reluctantly back around. Atem’s gaze was concerned now.

Yuugi let out a long breath. “Sorry,” he said. “I…I thought I was being followed by something, but it’s gone now.” He lowered his hands. “How long have you been here?”

“Not long,” Atem said. “Only a few minutes.” He gave a nod of his head. “This way. We can talk by the fire.”

“Fire?” Yuugi said in confusion. He followed Atem back through a line of trees, and sure enough, a small fire appeared out of the darkness—the exact same fire that had appeared in front of Yuugi when he’d first gotten here. Maybe he really _had_ been running in a huge circle this entire time.

Crowded around it were Anzu, Honda, and Jou, who all smiled when they saw Yuugi approaching. “Hey, there you are!” Jou said. “We were starting to wonder when you’d join us.”

“You all just arrived, too?” Yuugi said, bewildered.

The three of them nodded. “Just a couple of minutes ago,” Anzu said. “We all showed up at the same time, but you weren’t here. We were worried.”

“But I’ve been here for nearly half an hour,” Yuugi said. “How is that possible?”

His friends exchanged puzzled glances. “This place is probably playing tricks on you, Yuugi,” Atem said. “You can’t let it get inside your head.”

Yuugi huffed. “Oh, sure, easy,” he said, and Atem smiled at him.

Anzu’s eyes widened when Yuugi drew closer to the fire. “What happened to you?” she said in concern.

“Yeah, you’re a mess, man,” Honda said.

“Huh?” Yuugi said. He looked down at himself. He hadn’t realized it while he was running for his life, but his clothes were pretty badly torn and streaked with dirt. He picked a twig out of his hair and grimaced. “I, uh…I was running from something.”

“Running from…what?” Anzu said, fear creeping into her expression.

“I’m not sure,” Yuugi said. “Maybe it was my mind playing tricks on me too. I thought I saw…some kind of monster in the woods. It had red eyes.”

His friends looked at each other nervously. “Are you hurt?” Atem asked, looking over at Yuugi with concern again.

Yuugi shook his head. “I’m okay,” he said. He looked past the fire and realized there was a stone set into the ground, something he hadn’t noticed before. It almost looked like a tombstone, but it was too large. There was something carved into the rock. “What is that?” Yuugi said, pointing.

His friends turned to look. “Oh, great, another one,” Honda said.

Yuugi stepped a little closer. He tried to read what was carved into the rock and for a moment he thought he was going crazy; he blinked a few times and went a little dizzy. A handful of symbols came into focus. “Those are hieroglyphics,” he said, baffled.

Atem nodded. He stepped closer and narrowed his eyes at the symbols. His brow furrowed. “ _Pathway of Darkness_ ,” he said, after a moment. “ _Find your way out of the forest. Walk forward with courage, or you your soul will be consumed_.”

A shudder skipped up Yuugi’s spine. He looked over at Atem in disbelief. “You can read that?” he said. “How? You could never could before, could you?”

“No, not until now,” Atem said. “I can’t really explain why. Nothing in particular has changed.”

Yuugi’s gut twisted with a feeling he couldn’t quite identify. It was sharper this time, the realization of how different Atem was. The feeling curling into Yuugi’s body in a new and uncomfortable way, and all of a sudden he felt like there was so much space between him and Atem, miles of dark grass and cold air.

“It sounds like we just need to find the exit to this place without being caught,” Honda said, after a beat of silence. “That should be easy enough, right?”

“I don’t know,” Yuugi said. “We won’t be alone out there. I’m not sure what was after me, but I’m pretty sure it was real. We don’t have any way to fight them—if we get caught, we’ll just have to run and hope we don’t get killed.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Jou said, shrugging. “You got any better ideas?”

“He’s right, Yuugi,” Atem said. “We won’t get anywhere if we stand around here. I’m sure we’ll be all right if we’re quick about it.”

He sounded so certain, so calm, and Yuugi didn’t understand it. His stomach was trying to turn itself inside out and he wished he knew how to be so sure of himself like Atem was. He didn’t know how to just walk into danger without being afraid.

“How are we going to find the exit when we can’t even see a foot in front of us?” Honda said, glaring out into the forest. “Dumb luck?”

“This place isn’t endless,” Atem said. “There has to be an exit somewhere. All we have to do is find it.”

* * *

Walking back into the forest felt like walking willingly back towards the open mouth of a hungry lion.

Yuugi couldn’t stop shivering. He walked with his shoulder nearly pressed to Anzu’s, terrified of losing track of his friends for even a moment. Being alone was even more frightening at the moment than being chased down by another one of those huge, red-eyed creatures.

“You okay, Yuugi?” Anzu whispered. She could probably feel the way he was shaking.

“I’m fine,” Yuugi lied. He looked around, but the trees all looked frustratingly identical. There was no way to tell where they’d already been or how close they were getting to the exit—just endless branches and grass and freezing cold air. Yuugi felt like the darkness was clawing at the edges of his vision, reaching out for him with curled fingernails, prepared to catch him off guard and drag him away.

He pressed his arms closer to his chest and shuddered. The sooner they could get out of this place the better. His legs felt so heavy, and he wasn’t even sure they would carry him the rest of the way.

“I think we’ve been here before,” Jou said, pausing. He was staring at one of the trees, but it looked exactly like the hundreds of trees they’d already passed. “Maybe we went in a circle.”

“How can you even tell?” Anzu said impatiently. None of them dared to speak louder than a whisper. “Everything looks the same, and I can barely see anything anyway.”

“I can tell,” Jou said. “I think we should turn back.”

“What the hell will that accomplish?” Honda said. “You want to walk in another circle? Because we’ll just walk in another circle.”

A rustling from behind them made Yuugi’s heart fly into his throat. “Hey,” he said, reaching for his friends. Their voices were rising, much too loud. “Hey, guys— _guys,_ please don’t fight—”

The rustling grew louder. A low, sharp growl snapped them all to attention and they went silent, turning toward the sound. Yuugi watched, horrified, as the darkness began to take shape. Red eyes. Sharp teeth. A scream lodged itself in his throat.

“ _Run_ ,” Atem said urgently, and none of them needed to be told twice.

The five of them took off, sprinting away from the growls and the rustling trees. No matter how fast they ran, the sounds always seemed to be right behind them, like something was breathing right against the back of Yuugi’s neck. Despair climbed up his ribs. They wouldn’t be able to outrun these monsters. They’d keep running in circles forever and this forest would go on and on and on, as long as it wanted, shifting their path to keep them trapped.

Yuugi gasped when he felt a tug at his ankle. More roots, curling around him, yanking him to an abrupt stop. He went down hard, hitting the ground face-first.

“Yuugi!” Anzu’s voice, full of alarm, came from the darkness, but Yuugi couldn’t see her anymore. It was like the darkness had surrounded him in thick blankets of smoke, and he couldn’t even see his own body anymore. The roots were climbing up his ankles, curling around and around and squeezing. He fought against them, but they held fast.

Another voice called his name—more than one voice—frightened now. Yuugi wanted to answer them, but the darkness was so heavy, too heavy. He didn’t want to fight against it anymore. He wanted to let it drag him down into the ground and give up and rest. What was the point, anyway? His friends didn’t need him. He’d just be holding them back, like he always did.

The darkness surrounded him, a low, rumbling hum in his ears. Yuugi curled over, squeezing his eyes shut so he didn’t have to see the sharp teeth sink into him or see the hungry eyes gazing out at him. His limbs were made of lead and he could feel them sinking beneath the dirt, the roots dragging him down to take him.

“Yuugi,” a voice called, as though from a distance. “Yuugi, I need you to listen to me. You have to fight against this.”

 _I can’t,_ Yuugi wanted to answer. His mouth wouldn’t obey him. _I can’t fight it_.

“You’re strong enough for this, Yuugi,” the voice continued. “You’re strong enough to fight against the fear. You can’t let it consume you.”

Yuugi dug his nails into his palms. _I don’t want it to_.

“Fear doesn’t define you,” the voice said. “It doesn’t control you. Fight it, Yuugi.”

Yuugi blinked his eyes open. That was the Pharaoh’s voice. Yuugi looked up, trying to hear through the hum off the darkness around him. While he was trapped by the Orichalcos he would have given anything to hear a friend’s voice, particularly Atem’s. For a brief, horrible moment he wondered if he was still there, trapped in a bubble, a puppet of a much more powerful presence.

A figure came into view above him, breaking through the howling darkness. “Take my hand, Yuugi,” Atem said.

His voice was clearer now. Yuugi squinted, struggling to see past the thick blackness. His limbs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds, but he reached up with one hand, stretching towards the sound of his friend’s voice.

A hand gripped his. The darkness disappeared so abruptly that it left Yuugi’s ears ringing in the resulting silence. He blinked a few times and Atem came into focus; he was keeling in front of Yuugi in the grass, his steady gaze fixed on Yuugi’s face.

Yuugi’s limbs no longer felt like they were weighing him down, and there were no roots around his legs, no glowing red eyes or sharp fangs. The air didn’t even feel as cold anymore. It was like the dark shadows consuming Yuugi’s body had never even existed.

“Yuugi,” Atem said, his voice low, and Yuugi’s gaze snapped back towards him. Atem squeezed his hand. “Are you all right?”

Yuugi wasn’t sure how to answer for a moment. He wasn’t actively being sucked down into blackness anymore, but he still felt a little lightheaded, like his limbs wouldn’t support him if he tried to stand up. He nodded anyway, short and jerky. “What…?” he muttered. His voice was a little hoarse. He glanced past Atem at his friends, who were hovering anxiously. “What happened?”

Atem opened his mouth to answer, but before any of them could speak, there was a sizzling _whoosh_ sound from somewhere past the trees. All five of them jumped in surprise and looked over as a fire sputtered to life—no, two fires, lighting two stone torches. In between the stone torches was an aging rock archway, vines twisting through the stones as though sewing it together.

There was another object on the ground in between the two torches—a short sword, its blade stuck in the dirt.

 _You have completed Trial Number Two_ , a resonating voice said, humming through the ground. The voice was distorted, but Yuugi recognized it from some corner of his consciousness, and it made him shiver. _Your prize will illuminate your path in future challenges. Take it and exit the forest._

The voice faded and Atem gripped Yuugi’s arm, helping him to his feet. Jou approached the archway and knelt down, tugging the knife free from the dirt. He removed it from its sheath and examined it, tilting it from side to side as though inspecting the blade for nicks. “I guess this is supposed to be the prize,” he said. He turned to Yuugi, smiling, and stepped towards him. He flipped the knife around so the hilt was facing Yuugi’s direction. “I think you should take it, Yuug.”

“What?” Yuugi said, eyeing the blade in surprise. “Me? I have no idea how to use something like that.”

Jou shrugged. “Whatever,” he said. “It can’t be that hard. I feel like you’ve earned this thing.”

Yuugi hesitated a moment longer. “He’s right, Yuugi,” Atem said. “You should be the one to have it.” His hand rested on Yuugi’s shoulder and squeezed encouragingly. “Go ahead.”

Yuugi nodded. He reached out and took hold of the knife, wrapping his fingers around the grip. He removed the blade from its ornate black sheath, watching the metal catch the firelight. The blade seemed unassuming at first, just a regular knife, long and silver. There was something carved into the hilt, some symbols maybe.

Yuugi ran his thumb along the symbols and gasped as the blade suddenly hummed against his palm, as though coming to life. He jerked the knife away from his face just in time for flames to climb the length of the blade, curling themselves along the metal until Yuugi was holding a sword made entirely of fire. For a moment he panicked, worried he’d be burned, but the hilt was unaffected and the flames along the metal didn’t feel hot at all.

“Whoa,” Jou said. “Dude.”

Yuugi held out the sword in front of him, examining it in wonder. _Illuminate your path_ , the voice had said. It made more sense now.

“Incredible,” Atem murmured. His gaze was fixed on the blade, eyes wide with amazement. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Yuugi replaced the sheath back on the knife, and the flames vanished immediately. He slipped the knife onto his belt, securing it carefully. The five of them turned to face the stone archway.

“Well,” Honda said. “I guess that’s our way out. Let’s get the hell out of this place.”

A mystery archway into darkness wasn’t a whole lot more appealing than where they were right now, but Yuugi wanted desperately to get out of here. He followed his friends toward the archway, and the world went black as his body went weightless, flying through emptiness.

* * *

“The forest was meant to test our ability to conquer fear,” Atem said.

The five of them had appeared back at the circular room after completing the trial, and they were standing together against the wall now, across from the remaining eight doors. Atem leaned back against the bricks and folded his arms; he glanced over at Yuugi, who had been very quiet since they’d escaped the forest. Atem had never wanted to badly to know what he was thinking.

“I believe those creatures we saw in the darkness, they fed on whatever fear we were feeling,” Atem continued. “If we surrendered to our fear, they grew stronger. They may have been the manifestation of our fear, themselves.” He looked over at Yuugi again. “You escaped them because you managed to conquer your fear.”

Yuugi glanced up. He still looked uneasy, like the trial had shaken him pretty badly, but he wasn’t one to linger in feelings of worry or anxiety. “But why did it affect me so much worse than any of you?” Yuugi said. “It’s like the creatures—or the darkness or whatever—it came straight for me.”

“You’ve been through a great number of difficult things, Yuugi,” Atem said. “Fear leaves scars. That doesn’t make you weak or vulnerable—these trials, they’re meant to target those things within us that have not quite healed.”

Yuugi nodded vaguely and looked away again. He slipped his hands into his pockets and stared at the ground.

“Just because you were affected the most doesn’t mean we weren’t affected too,” Anzu said, smiling in a reassuring way. She shivered lightly and curled her arms around herself. “There was something about the way that forest felt—I’ve never felt anything like it before. Like I’d never be happy again or something.”

The feeling in the forest had been even more than that—it had been incredibly heavy, like rocks, so oppressive that it had been a constant battle to fight against it. Atem wasn’t surprised that Yuugi had been most deeply affected, not only because of what he’d been through but because Yuugi was the most empathetic out of any of them.

Although Atem couldn’t hear Yuugi’s thoughts, he could see the frustration clearly on his face. When Yuugi collapsed in the forest, it had been like something was holding him down, something he couldn’t find the strength to fight against. It seemed the frustration from that experience was lingering, even after they’d escaped.

“Yuugi,” Atem said, “are you sure you’re all right?”

Yuugi looked up sharply. He blinked a couple times and then smiled. “I’m fine, Pharaoh,” he said. “I’m just glad we got out of there in one piece.”

“We’ll crush the next trial,” Jou said. He grinned and threw an arm around Yuugi’s neck, nearly yanking him to the ground. “We’re gonna show it who’s boss. Isn’t that right, Yuug?”

Yuugi laughed, though his voice still sounded unsteady. “You’re right,” he said. “Of course we will.”

They didn’t have to wait long. Atem expected it to be a while before the next trial would open for them, but it seemed that whoever had trapped them here didn’t want them to have a moment of reprieve. Only a few moments passed before another door was clicking open with a heavy metallic sound, revealing a new dark entryway.

“All right,” Jou said, cracking his neck. “Let’s do this. Give me your worst, death prison. I’m ready for you.”

Jou led the way towards the door, barging ahead like he didn’t care what was on the other side. Anzu and Honda followed and Atem trailed behind with Yuugi, and the five of them were met with the familiar—yet still alarming—feeling of plummeting into open air.

When the dizziness subsided, Atem cracked his eyes open and then winced, startled by how bright it was. He shielded his eyes to allow them to adjust and squinted at their surroundings, just beginning to make out ornate pillars and decorated tile flooring. He glanced down briefly as his vision adjusted and was startled to find that his clothing had changed completely, replacing itself with a soft white tunic and delicate gold jewelry, bracelets lining his arms and cascading from his neck. For a moment he gazed silently, mesmerized, at the way the bracelets jingled and caught the light.

He looked up, then, and the next thing he registered was that his friends’ clothes had all been replaced with something similar, white tunics and gold jewelry. They were standing in the middle of what looked like the entry hall of an enormous palace, the ceilings arching high above them, the walls made of polished stone and artfully decorated with paintings and richly-colored drapery.

Atem didn’t get a long time to admire the architecture, however, because a moment later a dozen sharp spear tips were pointed at him and his friends. A handful of guards had surrounded them while their eyes were adjusting to the light, and were now standing in a perfect circle with their weapons held at the ready. Atem blinked in surprise and eyed the spear tip an inch from his chest. For a long moment, nobody moved or breathed.

“Uh,” Honda said weakly, finally breaking the silence. He raised his hands. “We come in peace?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something I always thought was missing from the season 5 arc was an exploration of how it felt for Yugi and Atem to be separated from one another after sharing a body for so long. This story will explore that idea more later on, but I wanted to introduce the idea in this chapter.  
> Thanks for reading! Drop a comment if you get a chance <3


	3. Trial Three: The Stone of Amennakhti

“Well, it’s not like we expected a day spa or anything,” Honda said.

“Honda,” Anzu said. She thumped her head back against the wall she was leaning against. “I’m going to need you to stop talking. I’m getting a headache.”

The five of them were locked in several adjacent cells in the dungeon of an enormous palace, the palace they’d appeared in when they’d entered the third trial. When they’d first been surrounded by a dozen armed soldiers, Atem thought they’d be killed immediately. Instead, they were taken down several flights of stairs into a cold basement full of crumbling brick and dim light, and promptly locked in these cells. They weren’t told anything, and they weren’t given a chance to explain themselves.

“Where do you guys think we are?” Yuugi said. He was in the cell across the hall from Atem, leaning back against the wall with his legs folded. “I didn’t really get a good look at this place before we were dragged down here.”

“I think we just dropped into some rich dude’s palace,” Jou said. “He probably thought we were here on an assassination mission or something. Maybe if we just ask nicely he’ll let us leave.”

“I doubt that, Jou,” Yuugi said. “They didn’t exactly seem like the friendly types when they stuck us down here.”

“So?” Jou said. “A misunderstanding.”

Yuugi fidgeted restlessly, tugging at the bracelets around his wrists. Atem had found himself fiddling with them once or twice himself. It was odd, that this trial had not only changed their location but changed their clothing as well. Atem wondered if the clothes were supposed to help them blend in somehow.

“How are we going to get out of here?” Yuugi said. “We don’t even know what we’re supposed to do for this trial, and we’ll never figure it out if we’re stuck in here forever.”

“Perhaps this is part of the trial itself,” Atem wondered. He sat upright, then, realization striking. “Yuugi. Do you still have your knife?”

Yuugi gasped and his eyes went wide. “Of course!” he said. He beamed and reached for the waist of his tunic, where the knife was strapped to his side, hidden in the folds of his clothes. None of them had been searched for weapons when they were brought down here. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”

“I’m not sure a flaming knife is going to unlock these,” Jou said, yanking at the bars on his cell. “Unless that thing can magically transform into a key, too.”

“No, but if you get metal hot enough it can bend,” Yuugi said. He shuffled up to the bars on his cell and examined them, lips pursed thoughtfully. “But we’ll have to be quick. I’m not sure how long we have before the guards will come back.”

“Be careful,” Atem warned. He climbed to his feet, stepping up to the door of his cell so he could watch more closely. “We’re still not sure what that thing can do.”

Yuugi nodded. He removed the knife from its cover and tendrils of fire swept along the metal, engulfing it. Yuugi’s brow furrowed with concentration as he brought the knife carefully up to the metal bars. The metal wasn’t particularly thick, but Atem imagined it would still take some time for it to yield enough for an escape.

Sure enough, no matter how long Yuugi held the flaming blade up to the cell bars, they didn’t give. He tugged at one of them, testing it, and then yelped, yanking his hand back. “Damn,” he muttered, frowning at his singed fingers.

“Be patient, Yuugi,” Atem said. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

Yuugi huffed and reached for his dropped weapon. “This is going to take too long.”

“Try melting the lock,” Anzu suggested. “You might be able to weaken it enough to tug the door open.”

Yuugi’s face lit up. “You’re a genius,” he said. He scrambled to his feet and stepped over to the door, bringing his knife with him. He brought the blade to the lock and glared at the metal, as though trying to force the process to speed up with his own willpower. Atem held his breath, watching as the metal grew warmer, glowing gently beneath the flames of the blade.

Yuugi lowered the sword. He pulled hard at the door once, twice, and gasped when it gave, just a little. He yanked yarder, and the door swung open, thudding hard against the wall, pieces of metal scattering across the ground. Yuugi grinned, triumphant. “I can’t believe that worked,” he said, replacing the knife in its holster. “I owe you one, Anzu.”

“Just get us out of here and we’ll be even,” Anzu said.

Yuugi nodded. “It’ll take too long to break all of the doors open,” he said. “I’ll see if I can find some keys.”

“There was a guard’s station on the way in,” Atem said. “There might be something useful there.”

Yuugi raced off in that direction. He returned a moment later with a ring of keys. “One of these has to work,” he said. He headed for Atem’s cell first, fumbling with the dozens of keys and trying them one by one. It took several attempts before one finally slid into the lock, and the second it clicked into place voices echoed from down the hall. Atem met Yuugi’s eyes and they exchanged a look of alarm.

“Quickly,” Atem said. “They’re coming back.”

Yuugi nodded shortly. He turned the key and tugged at the door of the cell, pulling it open, and then raced immediately for Anzu’s cell. He tried the same key, but it wouldn’t turn. “Damn it,” Yuugi muttered. “Damn it, why won’t it _work_ —”

“It’s okay,” Anzu said. She squeezed Yuugi’s hand through the cell bars. “You two get out of here. We’ll catch up with you as soon as we can.”

Yuugi looked over at Atem, his gaze sharp with panic. Atem nodded at him. “Give Anzu the keys,” he said. “We need to get out of here, Yuugi.”

“We’ll be fine, Yuug,” Jou said. “Don’t worry about us.”

Yuugi sighed. He slipped the keys through the bars, handing them to Anzu. Atem took hold of Yuugi’s arm, giving him a gentle tug. “Let’s go,” he said.

There was only one staircase in and out of the dungeon. Atem and Yuugi ducked behind the stairs and then paused there, crouched in the darkness, listening as the guards’ footsteps passed by. Atem knew they would only have a few brief moments before the guards realized they were gone, so the moment the coast was clear he reached for Yuugi’s hand, tugging him up the stairs.

“We still have no idea what we’re supposed to be doing here,” Yuugi whispered as they ran, up several more flights of stairs and into an ornate hallway. The halls were dim and quiet, almost eerily quiet. “How are we supposed to complete this trial?”

“I suppose we’ll find out eventually,” Atem said as they paused in the middle of the hall. He looked around, gauging their location. “Right now I think we just need to get as far away from the dungeon as possible. We don’t want the guards finding us and throwing us back in those cells.”

The palace was a bit of a maze—the hallways were enormous and complicated, so heavily decorated with artwork and lace curtains that it all blurred together. They headed upstairs and then paused at the top of a staircase. “Maybe we should be looking for hieroglyphics,” Yuugi said, a little out of breath. “On all the past trials—”

“Shh, wait.” At the sound of voices, Atem gripped Yuugi by the shoulders, pulling him around the corner. Atem pressed him back against the wall and they stayed there, holding their breaths. Yuugi met Atem’s gaze briefly, his eyes wide and panicked, and Atem gave a tiny shake of his head. _Stay calm_ , he tried to say with his eyes, even though Yuugi couldn’t hear his thoughts anymore. _Don’t move._

Yuugi seemed to understand anyway. He relaxed slightly and they waited, frozen, as the voices passed by and disappeared. They were chatting lightly, about something Atem couldn’t quite make out.

“Those voices didn’t sound like guards,” Yuugi whispered.

Atem nodded. He released Yuugi’s shoulders. “There must be something important going on here tonight,” he said. “The rest of the palace is empty, and the guards attacked us as soon as we appeared inside. They must have been protecting someone.”

“Or some _thing_ ,” Yuugi said.

Atem smiled. “Yes,” he agreed. He turned away, gazing at the opposite wall. It was open to the night sky, leading out onto a stone balcony. Atem stepped out onto the balcony and looked out over the railing. Down below was an enormous courtyard, filled with people and piles of food and warm lights. A stone fountain at the center bubbled around a tall, intricate statue. Guests sipped drinks and danced with one another.

Yuugi approached Atem’s side and gazed down at the courtyard. “A party?” he said.

Atem nodded. He looked over at Yuugi and arched an eyebrow. “Good thing we’re dressed for the occasion,” he said.

* * *

It was surprisingly easy to blend into the crowd. Atem and Yuugi strolled into the courtyard like they’d been personally invited, and nobody batted an eyelid at them.

The courtyard was stunning, easily as beautiful as everything else inside the palace. Silk tablecloths rippled lightly in the cool evening breeze and artful floral arrangements held them in place. Even the food was like artwork, fruit arranged carefully by color and shape to create the illusion of bouquets or cascading water, bread baked in intricate twists and curls, cakes piled ten stories high and frosted with delicate swirls and petals.

The guests matched the décor, with their richly-colored robes and tunics stitched with gold thread. Their bodies dripped with so much jewelry that Atem wondered how it didn’t weigh them down.

Atem leaned against a low stone wall at the edge of the courtyard and gazed up at the fountain at the center of the courtyard. It was enormous up close, and it seemed to have been carved by hand. It was a statue of a man wearing a tunic from the waist down, his upper body covered in jewels. His hair was long and swept back, and in his hand he held a long chain. At the end of the chain was what looked like a small round stone.

“Any idea who that’s supposed to be?” a voice said.

Atem looked over. Yuugi had joined him, and his gaze was fixed up at the fountain statue. “Not in the slightest,” Atem said. “Maybe whoever owns this palace had it commissioned in his likeness.”

Yuugi wrinkled his nose. “That seems awfully egotistical.”

Atem chuckled. “It does, doesn’t it?” he said. “You’d have to consider yourself pretty powerful. Like a king of Egypt, perhaps.”

Yuugi whipped his head around and stared at Atem, wide-eyed. “I didn’t even think of that,” he said. “You think maybe this place is a royal palace or something?”

“It’s possible.” Atem folded his arms. “Did you find anything useful?”

Yuugi shook his head. “I tried talking to some of the guests,” he said, “but none of them wanted anything to do with me. Did you have any luck? You blend in better here than I do.”

“What makes you say that?”

Yuugi smiled. “You seem like you’re in your element here,” he said. “You could actually be a guest and I wouldn’t have questioned it.”

“Hm,” Atem said, deciding to take that as a compliment. “In any case, nobody would tell me much of anything either.” He tapped his fingers against his arm and narrowed his eyes at the statue towering above them. “I asked a couple people about this statue, but they just looked at me blankly.”

Yuugi’s brow furrowed thoughtfully. “Maybe we should be treating this more like…like a game,” he said. “Maybe these people, they’re not here to help us. They weren’t created to give us any more information—to move forward, we have to find the clues that are deliberately left out for us.”

Atem stared over in Yuugi’s direction. “I think you’re right,” he said. He smiled. “That’s good thinking, Yuugi.”

“Well, if there’s one thing you and I are good at it’s playing games,” Yuugi said. He pointed towards the fountain. “Maybe that statue is supposed to be our first clue. I bet it’s trying to tell us something.”

“I think so too,” Atem said. “If I had to guess, I’d say it has something to do with the stone he’s holding.”

“So, what?” Yuugi said. “We find the stone, and we progress in the trial, you think?”

“I think it’s the best option we have so far,” Atem said. There wasn’t anything particularly special about the stone he was holding, but there was something about the way it was being held aloft, as though in triumph. It wouldn’t have been carved into a statue this monumental if it wasn’t important. “Maybe that stone is what’s being guarded so carefully.”

Yuugi’s face paled suddenly. He reached for Atem’s arm, gripping tightly. “Speaking of guards,” he said tightly. He pointed with his free hand. “Pharaoh, look.”

Atem followed Yuugi’s gaze. A half dozen guards had entered the courtyard on the far side, their spears held upright, their eyes scanning the courtyard. Atem’s stomach flipped over. “Right,” he said. He straightened. “Let’s get out of here.”

They made their escape from the courtyard, ducking between guests and gathering dozens of indignant yelps in the process. Yuugi’s hand slipped into Atem’s, gripping tightly, as though he was worried about them getting separated. Atem relaxed a little once they were out of the courtyard and back within the walls of the palace, but they kept moving to get as far away from the guards as possible.

“Pharaoh—” Yuugi tugged, pulling Atem to a stop. His gaze was fixed down the nearby hallway. “Hold on.”

Atem turned back. “What is it, Yuugi?” he asked.

Yuugi pulled, leading Atem down the adjacent hallway. “Over here,” he said. He paused at the end of the hallway at a huge pair of ornate golden double doors, and pointed above them at the wall. “Look. Hieroglyphics.”

Atem raised his eyes, and sure enough, above the double doors were two lines of hieroglyphics. “It’s like we were led right to them,” Atem said. “I think you might have been right about this entire thing being a game.”

“So, what do they say?” Yuugi said. “Can you read them?”

Atem nodded. He closed his eyes briefly in an attempt relax and clear his mind. The words came to him more readily than before. “ _The Trial of Stone_ ,” he read. “ _What you seek lies beyond the doors_. _The choice you make will determine your destiny. Gain your freedom, or lose everything._ ”

Yuugi shivered lightly. “I hate how ominous these always are.”

Atem chuckled. “There’s a certain dramatic flair to them, though, you have to admit,” he said. He looked over at Yuugi and raised his eyebrows. “Are you ready to see what’s on the other side of those doors?”

“Not really,” Yuugi said. But he set his jaw and squared his shoulders, marching forward down the hall. Atem smiled affectionately where Yuugi couldn’t see, and followed close behind.

On the other side of the double doors was a dimly lit room. The floor was delicate white tile and the edges of the room were lined with pillars, similar to the ones in the courtyard. On the far side of the room, an enormous pair of windows looked out into the night and heavy drapes nearly obscured the glass. In front of those windows was a stone pedestal, where a gleaming amber necklace rested.

Atem guessed that it was the same necklace the statue in the courtyard had been holding. If the statue hadn’t proved its importance, this drove it home—the necklace was being displayed here as though it was a piece of artwork in a museum. Atem wondered, briefly, why this jewel wasn’t more heavily guarded if it was so important. There had been no guards outside the doors, no locks, no security measures in place at all.

Yuugi stepped towards the pedestal and Atem reached for his shoulder, stopping him. “Careful,” Atem said. “This might be a trap.”

Yuugi looked over at him, his forehead creasing. “But we need to take the gemstone with us, right?” he said. “The writing said _what you seek lies beyond the doors_. It must have been talking about this.”

“Yes,” Atem said. “But that doesn’t mean they’re going to make it easy for us to just walk away with it.”

He stepped tentatively closer, and they approached the pedestal together with caution. The jewel was beautiful up close, bigger than Atem had expected, its surface glossy and unblemished. Even without touching it, Atem could sense a certain power coming from it, thrumming in the air around them, like the spark of electricity before a lightning strike. It made the hair stand up at the back of Atem’s neck.

“What do you think it is?” Yuugi said. “Do you think it’s magic? Is that why they were so protective of it?”

“That would be my guess, yes,” Atem said. He reached out, hesitated, and then picked up the jewel gingerly. He waited for his fingers to be singed off or for lightning to arc through the air, but nothing happened. If he hadn’t sensed it in the first place, Atem would assume that the jewel held no power at all.

He and Yuugi breathed out simultaneously. Atem hadn’t even realized he’d been holding his breath. “So, that’s it?” Yuugi said. “We finished the trial?”

Atem was certain there was more to it than that. He slipped the jewel around his neck. “Let’s not celebrate just yet,” he said. “We should hurry out of here before—”

No sooner had they turned to leave than the doors were swinging open, thudding against the walls. A dozen guards stepped into the room, armed with spears, and in the middle of them was a bearded man wearing rich robes. Atem recognized his face almost immediately—it was immortalized in stone out in the courtyard.

“Evening, gentlemen,” the man said. “I’m afraid I can’t let you leave with that gemstone there.”

* * *

Things happened very quickly.

Yuugi reached for his knife, unsheathing it, flames sweeping out from the base of the hilt. He swung the blade at the approaching guards, trying to deter them, but there were too many of them to fight off. One of them knocked the blade out of Yuugi’s hand, and another reached for him, just barely missing his arm.

Meanwhile, the bearded man in the robes came straight towards Atem. Atem backed away and then reached for Yuugi’s discarded sword; he ducked out of the way of two of the guards and instead went straight for the bearded man. The man stepped backwards until his back was against one of the pillars at the edge of the room, and Atem paused with the tip of the blade an inch from his chest.

The man raised his hands, but he smiled pleasantly. “Ah, ah,” he said. He jerked his chin at something over Atem’s shoulder. “Might want to rethink your strategy here, son.”

Atem frowned, confused, and then his body went cold. He looked over his shoulder and his eyes went wide; four separate guards had Yuugi pinned facedown on the ground, his arms pressed tightly against his back, the tips of five spears pointed at his body. Yuugi struggled, but he was held firmly. His gaze, panicked, met Atem’s, and Atem could swear he felt that panic stick, sharp, into his chest, like the feeling was made out of barbed wire.

“Now, then,” the bearded man said, his voice still light and pleasant. “Let’s just talk this over like adults, shall we? I don’t want to have to kill your friend.”

Atem gritted his teeth. He tightened his grip around Yuugi’s sword. “Let him go, and we can talk,” he said. “This doesn’t need to involve him.”

“Oh, I don’t think that’s how these things work,” the bearded man said. “Besides, you’re not really in any position to be making demands, particularly when you’ve so generously stolen from me.” His gaze dropped to the stone around Atem’s neck. “I see you have found the Stone of Amennakhti.”

Atem raised his eyebrows. “This stone is important to you, isn’t it?” he said.

“It’s important to many, not just me,” the man said. “I have gone to great lengths and sacrificed much to find it. My father and his father before him, they all searched their entire lives for this stone. Yet I was the one to find it, because the stone wanted me to. It chose me—it _called_ to me.”

“Tell me what’s so important about it,” Atem said. “What are you hoping you’ll achieve by having it?”

The man’s eyebrows went up. “You seek the stone without understanding what it can do?” he said. “I see. Someone else hired you to steal from me, did they? So, who was it? Another Empire? My brother, perhaps?”

“This stone is powerful,” Atem said, ignoring him. “I want to know how.”

The man sighed. “Oh, very well,” he said. “I suppose you wouldn’t tell me who you were working for anyway, would you?” He smiled. “That stone can provide extraordinary power, the kind of power thought only to be in myths and legends. The stone is imbued with the power of lightning. Properly used, it can destroy cities and set the sky itself on fire.”

Atem’s chest tightened. The memory of electricity in the air made his hair stand on end. “Ah,” he said. “You plan to use this stone to expand the reach of your kingdom, don’t you? It will make you powerful—and feared.”

“It’s a fantastic plan, don’t you think?” the man said, beaming. “I could have any land I wished for. My subjects will never commit crimes again, out of fear of being destroyed. I could have the entire valley with that stone if I wanted.”

Atem looked down at the stone, where it rested against his chest. He reached for it with his fingertips and energy crackled along his skin. The air itself seemed to hum, like the jewel was calling to be used, to let the energy expand outward towards anything it could find.

Atem shuddered and dropped his hand away. That kind of power terrified him more than he would have liked to admit. It felt too much like activating the Orichalcos had, the sudden sweep of energy that had curled into his limbs and nearly singed his skin. The power of the Orichalcos had almost been too much for his body, like it had expanded outwards with every breath, itching to destroy and set aflame and cause pain.

Atem shook off the lingering memory and fixed his gaze back on the man’s face. “I can’t hand you this jewel if you’re just going to use it to cause your subjects pain,” he said.

“Oh, how noble,” the man said sardonically. “Did you forget about your friend?”

Atem glanced over at Yuugi, who gazed back at him, still fighting against the hands holding him down. Yuugi’s gaze said _Don’t give him the stone. I’ll be okay. Don’t hand it to him_.

Atem clenched his hand over the hilt of his sword. _I can’t let them hurt you_.

Yuugi gave a tiny shake of his head, almost infinitesimal. His eyes were huge with panic. _No! Don’t give it to them!_

“All right, then,” the man said, when Atem didn’t move. “I can see you need a little more incentive.”

He jerked his head at the double doors. Two of the guards pulled them open, and another dozen figures piled into the room. Atem’s eyes widened in horror—Anzu, Honda, and Jounuchi were all herded inside, their arms pinned behind their backs by guards. Jou was actively fighting back, yelling insults and kicking his legs, and he had to be held back by two separate guards.

“No,” Atem breathed.

“Ah, these _are_ you friends, are they?” the bearded man said, pleased. “They tried to make a grand escape from the dungeons, but they didn’t make it far. Your little group has tried very hard to ruin my party, and I can’t have that.”

“Don’t worry about us, man,” Honda said. He grimaced over at Jou, who was trying valiantly to bite his captors’ fingers. “We’re fine. Just do whatever you’ve gotta do.”

“Yeah, we’re great,” Jou said, his voice tight with effort as he strained against his guards’ grip on his arms. His face was going red with it. “Just, uh…do what I would do.”

Anzu’s gaze was fixed, worried, on Yuugi. She chewed on her lower lip.

“So, what will it be, my friend?” the bearded man said. “The lives of your friends, or a pretty necklace? The choice seems fairly easy to me.”

Atem’s fingers were white-knuckled around his sword. He glanced at Yuugi, and Yuugi screamed with his eyes: _Don’t give him the stone!_

The bearded man’s smile widened a little. He gave a tiny jerk of his chin towards his guards. Atem frowned, confused, and then started at a cry of pain.

At the very same second, something sharp dug harshly into Atem’s ribs. His hand flew to his chest automatically and for a moment he was convinced he’d been stuck with a knife. When realization hit him, he turned towards the sound of the cry and his eyes widened in dismay at the way Yuugi’s face had screwed up in pain.

The guard shifted his grip on his spear, digging the point of it harder into Yuugi’s side. Yuugi _shouted_ , jerking desperately against the arms holding him down, and Atem’s body reacted as though he’d been punched. The air flew out of his throat and for a moment it was like all he could feel was pain, a knife inserted into his chest, a metal brand against his skin. The pain was so real that he was convinced, for a moment, that his hand would be covered in blood when he drew it away from his ribs.

“Yuugi,” he said hoarsely, his voice coming out like he’d run a thousand miles.

“ _Yuugi!”_ Anzu screamed, tugging desperately at the arms holding her back. “Stop, stop it!”

“Don’t give it to him, Pharaoh!” Yuugi cried, his eyes flying open and locking with Atem’s, wild and desperate. “Please, don’t give it to him, _please—_ ”

He broke off and shouted in pain again, and a fury like he hadn’t felt in a long, long time flooded Atem’s system in licks of fire. The stone against his neck crackled sharply, as though in response to his anger, and the bearded man smiled at him.

“Do you think you can use the power of the stone?” the man said softly. “You can feel it coursing through your veins, can’t you?” His eyes were a little manic. “Go ahead, give it a taste. Once you try it, you’ll understand my side of things, I promise you will.” He spread his arms. “Fight back against me. Save you friends. Go on!”

Atem closed his eyes and for a moment he wanted to, so badly it frightened him. He wanted to let lightning arc across his arms and into the man in front of him. He’d let his friends suffer so many times for his sake, and he was so tired of it. Yuugi’s life was too precious for him to let someone else tamper with it.

“I’m sorry,” Atem whispered. He opened his eyes, fixing his gaze on the bearded man’s. The man raised his eyes expectantly.

The flames licking the blade of Atem’s sword vanished as he let it fall from his grip. The weapon clattered loudly against the pristine white floors, and the sound rang in Atem’s ears. He lifted the necklace off his neck, and held it out towards the bearded man.

The man smiled, pleased. “Fair enough,” he said. “I suppose not everyone is capable of holding immense power.”

“No,” Yuugi groaned. “Pharaoh, _no!_ ”

The man took the necklace, slipping it over his head. He sighed happily and flexed his fingers, and it was as though the air itself became electrified, sparks skipping along Atem’s skin. The man smiled, and the stone around his neck glowed softly.

“Now,” the man said, “time to remove you from my house. I can’t have you ruining my party twice. I have guests to entertain.”

He held out of his hand toward Atem. Lightning crackled at the tips of his fingers.

“ _No!_ ” Yuugi shouted.

“Pharaoh!” Anuz cried.

Atem barely had time to stagger backwards a step before he world itself went white.

* * *

When the light faded, the first thing Yuugi registered was that the hands holding him down were gone.

He blinked several times as his vision refocused. As awareness came back to him his head spun and he pushed himself up sharply, looking around in a panic. For a brief moment terror squeezed his chest and he thought they’d failed, that the Pharaoh was gone, that the trials were over and they’d all be stuck here forever.

But Atem was still standing in the same place he’d been before, unharmed. He was holding the amber stone in the palm of his hand.

Yuugi’s body went weak with relief and his arms nearly collapsed out from underneath him. “Pharaoh!” he gasped.

Atem turned, blinking, and his eyes widened. “Yuugi,” he said, and he crossed the room in half a second, kneeling at Yuugi’s side, the amber stone clattering to the ground next to him.

“Are you all right?” Yuugi demanded, sitting up and examining Atem’s face critically. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” Atem said. “Worry about yourself.”

Yuugi glanced down at his ribs. He pawed at the place where he remembered the tip of a spear entering his body, but there was nothing there now—no blood, no wound, no scar, nothing. It was like it never happened. “I…I’m fine,” he said blankly.

Atem exhaled in relief. He squeezed Yuugi’s arm tightly with one hand. “I’m sorry, Yuugi,” he said. “I know you told me not to give in, but—”

Yuugi shook his head harshly. “No,” he said. “Don’t apologize. I would have done the same thing.” He swallowed hard. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Atem smiled, and relief cut between them, a wave of it, the feeling almost tangible.

There was a groan from the side of the room, then, and they both looked over. Anzu, Jou, and Honda were all stirring; Jou rubbed his head, his brow furrowed in pain. “Damn,” he muttered. “I’m gonna kill those guards, every last one of—” His eyes flew open then, and he jerked upright, looking sharply over at Atem and Yuugi. “Hey, Pharaoh!” he said, his face splitting into a grin.

Anzu gasped. “Pharaoh?” she said. She followed Jou’s gaze and her eyes filled with tears. “Oh, thank _goodness_ —”

The three of them came over and they all talked over one another for a few moments, while Atem smiled and waited for them to finish. “How did you _do_ that, man?” Jou said, reaching for Atem’s shoulders. “Did you use super mystic Pharaoh powers or something? Is that a thing?”

“Not without the Millennium Puzzle,” Atem said with a slight laugh. “I don’t know what happened exactly, but I have a theory.”

Yuugi looked up at him expectantly, as did his friends. Atem reached for the amber gemstone, holding it up. “The trial wasn’t intended to see if we could steal this,” Atem said. “It was to test our morals by offering us a choice—or, well, offer me a choice, I suppose.”

“So, the choice was between saving us and saving the stone?” Yuugi said.

“Something like that,” Atem said. “Had I chosen to use the stone and destroy that man and his guards—well, I doubt we would have passed the trial in that case. When I dropped my weapon and handed the stone over, I showed loyalty towards my friends and towards my morals.”

Jou reached for the stone and Atem handed it over to him. Jou examined the rock from every possible angle, fascinated. “I don’t really get what’s so special about this thing,” he said. “I mean, it’s just a rock.”

“It’s not _just_ a rock, Jou,” Anzu said, eyeing him warily. “Be careful with that thing. If you set a bunch of lightning on us—”

“Relax,” Jou drawled. “Have a little fun, Anzu.” He looked back at Atem and held out the necklace by the chain. “Here, man. You’d better take this thing before Anzu has an aneurysm.”

Atem eyed the stone but didn’t take it. He clenched and unclenched his fingers. “I’m…not sure that I should be the one to take it,” he said.

“What are you talking about?” Jou said. “What, are you worried about it clashing with your outfit? Just take it.”

“That stone is very powerful,” Atem said. “Too powerful. It needs someone who will be able to control it.”

“Pharaoh.” Yuugi reached over, closing his hand over his friend’s arm. He squeezed gently. “You _were_ able to control it. He told you to use it, and you wouldn’t.”

Atem’s brow furrowed. _That wasn’t the same_ , his gaze said, and Yuugi’s chest tightened as he realized what Atem was afraid of. After everything with the Orichalcos, it made sense that Atem would avoid anything too powerful, anything that might cause him to lose control of his better judgement again.

“It weirds me out when you do that,” Jou said.

“Huh?” Yuugi said, snapping his gaze back to Jou.

“This whole telepathy thing you two keep doing,” Jou said, gesturing jerkily between Yuugi and Atem. “You keep reading each others’ minds, having whole conversations silently. It’s creepy.”

“We’re not reading each other’s minds,” Yuugi said.

“Well, we are a little bit,” Atem said. Yuugi turned to frown in Atem’s direction, and Atem smiled in response. “Just because I can’t hear your thoughts anymore doesn’t mean I don’t know what you’re thinking much of the time,” Atem said.

“Well, yeah,” Yuugi said. “But that’s not the same as actual mind reading.” He glanced back at the necklace, which was still dangling from Jou’s hand. Atem still hadn’t taken it. “If it really is too powerful,” Yuugi said, “we can just get rid of it. Or one of us will take it.” He smiled. “We’re a team, remember? We’re not facing any of this alone.”

Atem’s expression finally seemed to relax a little at that. He nodded and reached out, letting Jou rest the necklace in his palm.

Once the five of them were on their feet, the double doors creaked open on their own. Yuugi tensed briefly, expecting more guards, but on the other side of the doorway was pure darkness. Yuugi straightened his shoulders. He felt more ready to face the next trial than he had for any other trial before this one.

“Yuugi, you almost forgot this,” Anzu said. She was holding out Yuugi’s blade, now back in its sheath.

“Thanks,” Yuugi said. He clipped the knife back into place.

Atem secured the amber necklace around his throat. He glanced over at Yuugi. “Ready?” he said.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Yuugi said bracingly.

“I hope it’s somewhere colder next time,” Jou said, heading towards the double doors. “It’s so hot here. I’ve been sweating for hours.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Drop a comment if you get a chance <3


	4. Trial Four: A Game of Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone who's commented or dropped kudos on this story so far! It's been so much fun to write, and I really appreciate everyone who's taken the time to read it. The next chapter is already written, and it'll be out next week. Hope u enjoy! <3

Yuugi blinked his eyes open and for a second he thought they were back in the huge circular room. The more he looked, however, he realized that this room was different; they were still underground, or somewhere that seemed underground, the walls and the ceiling made of damp stone. These stones weren’t organized as neatly and they were all different sizes, and moss grew in between them, giving the entire hall an aged, almost ancient feeling to it.

In front of them was a square room with five wooden doors set into the wall, the numbers one through five etched into their surfaces. They were each padlocked with a heavy metal lock, but there was also a stone pedestal at the center of the room, on top of which was a lockbox with a combination lock. On the surface of the pedestal were several lines of hieroglyphics.

“Well, this seems pretty easy,” Jou said. He stepped forward and examined the lockbox, rubbing his chin. “I bet the key is in here. We break it open, try each of the doors.”

“Hold on, Jou,” Atem said, stepping forward. “I doubt it’s that simple. If we open the wrong door, there could be consequences.”

“All right, fine. What would you suggest?”

Atem nodded at the writing on the pedestal. “Well, we could start by reading those,” he said. “They’ll probably tell us something helpful.”

Jou followed his gaze and blinked, as though noticing the hieroglyphics for the first time. “Oh,” he said.

Anzu sighed in exasperation. “Anyone else want to vote Jou out of the group? He’s going to get us killed.”

“Hey, I want to get the hell out of here!” Jou said defensively. “So I’m trying to find the quickest solution, kill me. It’s called _efficiency._ ”

Yuugi stepped up to Atem’s side. Atem was frowning at the hieroglyphics, creases forming between his eyes. “Phraroh, do you know what it says?” Yuugi asked.

Atem nodded. “It’s a riddle,” he said. “Or…a puzzle, I suppose.”

“So, what does it say?” Anzu asked, approaching curiously.

Atem’s frown deepened a little. “ _One door will lead you to your next challenge_ ,” he read. “ _Four doors lead to certain death. Choose wisely_.” He paused. “And then…there’s a series of numbers written below. I’m not certain what they mean.”

There were two sequences of numbers, actually, one right below the other. Jou crouched down to get a closer look at the numbers. He pursed his lips. “I think it’s a pattern,” he said. “Like, a number sequence of some kind. I bet one of these will tell us the combination to the lockbox.”

_24 24 22 9 9 9 9 22 24 22 9 9_ were carved into the stone as the first set of numbers. “Well, we could just try every combination of 24, 9, and 22 that we can,” Yuugi said. “But if we try that, we might fail the challenge.”

Jou’s gaze was fixed intently on the markings. He was silent for so long that Yuugi was about to suggest they try to attack this from another angle, when Jou suddenly said, “They’re not numbers. They’re letters.”

“They’re…what?” Yuugi said.

“That’s not how combination locks work, dude,” Honda said.

“No, listen,” Jou said. “They’re specific letters in the alphabet. When you arrange them together—”

“They create Roman Numerals!” Anzu exclaimed. She pointed at each of the numbers in turn. “That’s… XXV…okay. I think it’s 28, 4, 17.”

Jou turned the lock, inputting the code. The box clicked and popped open, revealing a key resting in the center. Jou grinned and picked it out of the box, twirling it triumphantly around his fingers.

“Since when do you know how to read Roman Numerals?” Yuugi asked, glancing over at Anzu.

“One of us has to pay attention in school,” Anzu said, but she seemed pleased.

“I pay attention in school,” Yuugi said, defensive.

Atem snorted. “No, you really don’t,” he said.

Yuugi’s face turned hot, and he glared in Atem’s direction. “Pharaoh!” he said.

“Yuugi, I’ve been inside your head,” Atem said. “Most of the time instead of paying attention in class you’re thinking about dueling techniques.”

Yuugi huffed, but he couldn’t really argue, because Atem was right. There was no way to hide from someone who knew his thoughts. At first, Yuugi had hated it—now, it felt so normal that having it gone felt unnerving. “I still pass all my classes,” Yuugi said. “You know…mostly.”

Atem just smiled at him, but it was kind of a relief. Atem had been quiet since the last challenge—Yuugi could guess why, but he wanted to get a chance to ask. He felt uncomfortable asking directly in front of everyone else, and he worried he wouldn’t get the chance anytime soon.

“Maybe the second set of numbers will tell us which door to use with the key,” Honda said. “Anyone have any bright ideas?”

The second set of numbers were even more nonsensical. Yuugi bent down to read them: _5 15 5 18 5 24 14 20_. The five of them were dead silent for nearly fifteen minutes, just staring, trying to find a pattern somewhere.

“I hate this puzzle,” Honda said finally.

“Well, the number five appears in the sequence three times,” Yuugi said. “So maybe what we want is door number five.”

“We shouldn’t risk it,” Atem murmured. “Not on something like that.”

Jou snapped his fingers, then, so loudly that Yuugi jumped. “It _is_ door number five,” Jou said. “But not because of that.” He pointed at each number sequence. “The first puzzle had to do with turning numbers into letters, right? Well, so does this one, sort of.”

“Huh?” Yuugi said.

“It’s kind of convoluted,” Jou said. “But if you spell out the number five, the last letter is E. E is the fifteenth letter of the alphabet. It’s just going up number by number—one, two three, four—”

“That’s _ridiculous_ ,” Honda said, staring at Jou in blatant disbelief. “How the hell did you figure that out so quickly?”

“Because I’m amazing,” Jou said, cracking his knuckles. He headed for door number five. “It’s this one, I’m sure of it.”

“Wait, Jou,” Yuugi said. “Are you sure about this?”

Jou didn’t answer. He slid the key into the lock. It turned with a loud metallic _thunk_ , and the padlock clattered to the ground. Jou pulled the door open, and Yuugi’s heart flew into his throat.

He and his friends all flinched in unison as the door opened and for a brief moment Yuugi expected the floor to collapse underneath them or a hungry lion to jump out from behind the door or the walls to set themselves on fire, but none of that happened. Instead, the only thing on the other side of the door was a hallway.

Yuugi heaved a sigh of relief, and his friends joined him. The five of them stepped tentatively through the doorway and down the next hallway.

Yuugi expected the door to lead to another square room with another puzzle to solve, but what they walked into was completely different. The room was what looked like an enormous maze for a second—white stone squares created an enormous twisting path across the ground. The longer he looked at it, Yuugi realized that it was a gigantic board game, splayed across the floor of the entire room.

An archway glowed softly a few feet away, right at the beginning of the twisting pathway. In front of it was another stone pedestal with hieroglyphics carved into it.

“This must be the second challenge,” Atem said. He approached the pedestal. “ _A Game of Chance,_ ” he read. “ _To complete your fourth trial, you must reach the end of the board. All may participate, but only one must play._ ”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Honda said. “I was worried this would be another stupid number puzzle.”

“A board game I can do,” Jou said. He rolled up his sleeves. “All right, guys, let’s do this.”

“Wait.” Atem held out one hand. There was a look on his face that Yuugi recognized, something in the set of his jaw, maybe, or the determination in his eyes. Yuugi’s stomach dropped, and he knew what Atem was going to say before he said it. “It only says one of us needs to participate. I’ll go by myself.”

“No way,” Yuugi said. “Pharaoh, no.”

“You don’t have to do this alone, man,” Honda said. “We can all help. We all _want_ to help.”

“Yeah, we’re a team, remember?” Anzu said. “We’re in this together. Don’t make me give one of my friendship speeches, because I will.”

“Thank you,” Atem said. “But I feel as though I need to do this. I need to face this challenge myself.”

“No,” Yuugi snapped. “Absolutely not. I’m not letting you go in there alone, it could be dangerous.”

“Exactly,” Atem said. He reached out, and his hands gripped Yuugi’s shoulders. “What happened during the last trial, I can’t let something like that happen again. I refuse to put you in harm’s way again, Yuugi.”

“Yeah, and what about me?” Yuugi said, growing upset. “You think I want to just stand back and watch without doing anything to help? We’ve always faced things like this together. How is this any different?”

Something flickered for a brief moment in Atem’s gaze, something Yuugi couldn’t quite identify. Guilt, maybe, or unease. Yuugi wished desperately he could see past that expression and hear what Atem was thinking, figure out why he was insisting upon this. The emptiness between them where their bond should be tugged at him, sharp and frustrating, like a metal wire twisting itself around Yuugi’s ribs.

“I’m sorry, Yuugi,” Atem muttered. He released Yuugi’s shoulders and turned away, stepping towards the archway.

“ _No!_ ” Yuugi threw himself forward, intending to grab Atem’s arm and stop him, maybe, or just follow him through the archway. The second Atem stepped through, however, there was a humming sound and a barrier of light swept itself out between them. Yuugi’s gasped and nearly ran face-first into the barrier, ripples of light shivering outwards from where his hands came into contact with it. He gritted his teeth and slammed his fists against the barrier in frustration, but all it yielded was a loud, metallic clanging sound. “ _Pharaoh!_ ”

Atem didn’t even turn to look at him. He paused just before the first white square of the board, and the ground rumbled again, harder this time, nearly violent enough to throw the five of them to the ground. Yuugi watched, stunned, as a rock statue emerged from the ground—no, two of them.

One emerged at the far side of the room, at the other end of the board. The other emerged right in front of Atem. They were both ancient-looking, like everything else here. Their stones were cracked and mossy and it looked like it could fall apart at any moment. The hands of the statue at the far side of the board were outstretched in front of it, holding something that glinted gold in the dim lighting.

“I think they’re like…chess pieces,” Yuugi whispered.

The statue at the far side of the room spoke, then, startling all of them. _Welcome to the Game of Chance_ , the voice said. It had the same voice they’d been hearing the entire time they’d been trapped within these trials. _To win, you must reach the center of the board without losing your life energy. Roll the dice for your figurine to progress forward. The color of the square you land on will determine your fate._

While it explained, the square in front of the far statue lit up in different colors: black, green, red, and then yellow. _A black square sends you back three spaces, while a white square allows you to move forward three spaces. A green square will revive some of your life energy, but a red square will deplete some of your life energy. If faced with an enemy, you have one chance to use a counterattack, but to use it you must move backwards three spaces or land on a yellow square. Good luck._

“This is complicated,” Honda said, rubbing his neck.

“It’s actually a little like Duel Monsters,” Yuugi said.

“I think it’s more like Dungeon Dice Monsters,” Jou said. “But like…more life-threatening.” He caught sight of Yuugi’s worried expression, and patted him on the shoulder. “Relax, Yuugi, he’s the King of Games, remember? He couldn’t lose something like this.”

“But he could,” Yuugi said. His voice wavered. “It’s a game of chance, Joey. Rolling a pair of dice doesn’t require any skill. He could still lose.”

Anzu gave a soft sound of fright, as though she was just realizing this too. She curled her hands under her chin and watched avidly through the light barrier.

Atem went first. He took the dice from his statue’s hands and rolled them. Yuugi couldn’t see what number he rolled, but a white square four spaces ahead glowed the moment the dice finished moving. Atem’s statue scraped forward four paces and paused on the square, and Yuugi waited, holding his breath.

The space glowed white. Yuugi huffed a breath of relief and Atem’s statue slid forward three more spaces.

The opponent’s statue went next, and moved forward five spaces. Its space glowed green, and the statue glowed brightly as though in response. _10 percent life energy regained,_ the disembodied voice said. _Life energy at 110 percent._

“Damn,” Jou muttered. “Not a great start.”

Atem rolled again, and his statue moved forward seven spaces. This time, the moment his statue paused on its space, it glowed red. Yuugi’s heart flew back into his throat.

_25 percent of life energy will now be depleted_ , the disembodied voice said. A moment later, another statue rose from the ground—it looked almost like a sorcerer, though it was so deteriorated it was hard to tell. The statue seemed like it was wearing robes and it held what looked like a scepter. It pointed the scepter across the board, and the weapon glowed red-hot. Flames shot out of it, directly towards Atem.

“ _No_!” Yuugi cried, slamming his fist against the barrier of light.

The fire was so bright it was blinding, and Yuugi’s friends yelped from beside him, shielding their eyes. “Pharaoh!” Anzu called in dismay, and her voice seemed to come from far away. Yuugi was distracted by the white hot feeling that had appeared on his skin, setting his face and his arms and his chest on fire.

He staggered away from the barrier of light, bewildered, thinking he’d been to close. But the pain kept going, rising hotter, until he wanted to claw at his skin to rid himself of the feeling.

The flames disappeared, and the pain went away as quickly as it had come. Atem reappeared; he was shielding his face with his arms, but he looked relatively unharmed, and Yuugi sagged in relief.

“Pharaoh,” Jou called. “You okay, man?”

Atem lowered his hands. He turned back and nodded reassuringly. “I’m fine,” he called. “Don’t worry about me. It’ll take a lot more than that to take me down.”

He reached for the dice. While he rolled, Yuugi looked down at his own hands, sure the skin or at least the hair on them would be singed off or something. The heat had been so real and visceral that he couldn’t believe he’d imagined it. “Yuugi?” Anzu said in concern. “Are you all right?”

Yuugi nodded and lowered his hands. His friends hadn’t seemed to feel anything, so that meant it _must_ have been in his head. “Yeah,” he said. “I’m fine.”

The opponent’s statue seemed to be falling behind at first—it hit three red squares in quick succession, and its life energy plummeted down to 35 percent. It gave Atem, who hit several more white squares, a narrow lead with his 75 percent energy.

“This game is rigged,” Jou said. “When you land on green you only get ten percent back, but every red square depletes your energy by 25 percent? What kind of garbage is that?”

“You’re right, it doesn’t seem fair,” Anzu said quietly, twisting and untwisting her fingers. “But if the Pharaoh can keep this lead, he should be able to make it to the center before the other statue, right?”

Atem reached for the dice again, but he hesitated briefly. There were two separate paths he could take next, but there was no way of knowing which path would be the better option. Both would lead to the center, but it was possible one contained a red square while the other didn’t. Atem’s forehead creased, as though in frustration, and Yuugi understood—there was no strategy to this game, no opportunity to plan ahead. Just luck.

Still, if Yuugi had been in Atem’s situation, there was no way he’d be as calm as Atem was right now. Yuugi wasn’t even playing this game and it was like his heart wanted to leap its way out of his chest.

Atem tossed the dice. His piece moved forward five paces, and the square beneath it glowed red again.

“No,” Anzu groaned. Yuugi waited, eyes wide, holding his breath.

Another statue emerged from the ground, an enormous burly warrior with a sword this time. The statue’s sword swung in a wide arc; there was a crackling sound, and then lightning arced through the room.

Anzu and Jou both shouted in terror and Atem dropped to his knees, face screwed up in pain, but Yuugi couldn’t focus on any of it. Something sharp sliced through Yuugi’s chest, as though the lightning was arcing straight through his body. It made his ears ring and his ribs feel like they were cracking in two. This was real. He wasn’t imagining this.

His eyes went wide with shock and he cried out in pain as he crumpled, doubling over. Another arc of pain sent him to his knees and his friends turned to look at him in surprise as the lightning faded. “Yuugi?” Anzu said. She and Jou and Honda crowded around him, their gazes confused and concerned.

“Yuugi, man, are you okay?” Honda said.

Yuugi couldn’t answer them right away. He panted for breath, his eyes fixed on Atem. Atem was already getting to his feet, though he looked a little more unsteady than before, his shoulders rising and falling harshly as he caught his breath, his arm still wrapped around his ribs. Yuugi winced as another spike of leftover pain crackled through his body.

His pain. Atem’s pain. Yuugi was feeling what Atem was feeling.

As though sensing something was wrong, Atem glanced over, and his eyes went wide when he saw Yuugi curled over on the ground. His mouth formed Yuugi’s name, though Yuugi was too far away to hear. Atem moved, as though planning to step off the board.

_Leave the board, and you have forfeited the game,_ the disembodied voice said, and Atem stopped. His expression twisted.

“I’m okay,” Yuugi said to his friends. He straightened; the pain was mostly gone, save for a low ache in his chest. In the absence of pain was a heavy feeling of exhaustion, like he’d just climbed a mountain. His legs barely felt like they’d support him, but he couldn’t let himself be so weak when Atem was fighting. “Help me up.”

His friends continued to eye him doubtfully, but they helped him to his feet. “What happened, dude?” Honda said. “You just collapsed all of a sudden. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah,” Yuugi said. “I think…I…” He pressed his hand against his chest, hesitated. He wasn’t sure how to explain it, without sounding like he was insane. “It’s almost like I was…feeling what the Pharaoh was feeling.”

He turned his gaze back to Atem, who was still hesitating, the dice resting in his hand. Yuugi nodded at him— _I’m okay, keep going_ —and Atem nodded in response, his shoulders relaxing a little. He tossed the dice, and they rolled along the floor.

Atem’s luck grew worse from there. Though he didn’t hit any more red squares, he hit quite a few black ones, and his opponent crept ahead little by little. When the opponent hit another red block, dropping its life energy all the way down to 10 percent, Yuugi grew hopeful, but Atem hit a red square himself immediately afterwards.

It was an archer this time. Its arrow flew in a perfect arc towards Atem’s chest and Yuugi was sharply reminded of the shadow game they’d played against Marik, the sight of an arrow flying towards them, the horrifying, empty feeling of his body disappearing bit by bit. This wasn’t quite as painful as that had been, but the heavy feeling it left behind was shocking, unnerving, too much to fight against.

Yuugi’s hand flew to his chest as pain pierced his body, just a moment of it, sharp and brutal. Atem staggered and his legs went out from underneath him as he braced one hand against the ground, struggling to catch his breath. Yuugi didn’t even realize he’d followed Atem’s example until the voices of his friends reached him. “Yuugi?” Anzu said. “Yuugi, are you hurt?”

“Hey, man, hang in there,” Jou said, his hands gripping Yuugi’s shoulders.

Yuugi curled his fingers into the fabric of his shirt. If he was feeling this way, he could only imagine that what Atem was feeling was a thousand times worse. It was like Yuugi’s limbs were filled with rocks, his head filled with cold water. Like his life energy was actually fading, disappearing in tendrils into the cracks between the stones.

Atem set his jaw and pushed himself to his feet, but Yuugi could see the heaviness in him, too, in the tightness of his expression and the way he stumbled a little once he was upright and the rapid rise of his shoulders as he struggled for breath.

“You’ve got this, Pharaoh!” Jou called through the light barrier. “Hang in there, dude, we’re all right here for you!”

Atem glanced over. He met Yuugi’s eyes again and his gaze was sharp with apology, so sharp that Yuugi was a little startled by it. Atem was in a life-or-death situation, and he was worrying about _Yuugi_.

Yuugi gritted his teeth and pushed himself up. He wouldn’t let Atem see him like this, not when he needed Yuugi to be strong. Yuugi could be strong. He _would_ be.

Atem’s expression didn’t relax, but he turned back to the game. His opponent was rolling, its statue sliding closer and closer to the center. It rolled just short—one space away. Yuugi’s heart throbbed in his throat.

“The Pharaoh needs to roll a five or higher to get to the center,” Jou said. “Or he loses.”

Yuugi held his breath. They’d gotten lucky plenty of times before, he told himself. They’d drawn the right card when it mattered, thought of the correct strategy just in time, won the duel with only a handful of life points left. Atem could get lucky this time around, too.

Atem rolled the dice. His statue slid forward four spaces and stopped.

Yuugi’s heart sank and Anzu moaned next to him, covering her face with her hands. “No,” she whispered. “No, no!”

“We’re never going to get out of here now,” Honda despaired. “We’ll be stuck down here forever.”

The space beneath Atem’s statue glowed yellow, then, and Yuugi’s heart leapt. “What does yellow mean again?” Anzu said, confused.

“It means he gets to counterattack without having to go back three spaces,” Yuugi said. “But I don’t know how that will help…unless—”

“Good thing I saved my counterattack for this very moment,” Atem said. “I attack you, my opponent, and deplete the remaining ten percent of your life energy.”

For a moment there was silence. And then the statue’s eyes glowed, crackling with energy. There was the sound of breaking glass, and they went dim. _Ten percent of energy depleted_ , the disembodied voice said. _Life energy at zero._

“Ha!” Jou said. He thumped Yuugi on the shoulder. “See? King of Games, man, what did I tell you?”

Atem’s figurine slid forward into the center of the board. Yuugi and his friends all breathed a simultaneous breath of relief. _You have completed the Game of Chance,_ the disembodied voice said, resonating along the walls. _Take your prize._

The wall of light faded. Yuugi rushed forward and his friends came with him, all four of them crowding around Atem. “Nice job, man,” Jou said, clapping Atem on the shoulder. “That thing with the counterattack was brilliant. How did you know it would work?”

“I didn’t, really,” Atem said. “It was just a guess. I’m actually a little surprised it worked. I might not have won the game otherwise.”

“You almost didn’t,” Yuugi burst out, the words flying out of him before he could stop them. Atem went silent, blinking at him in surprise. “What would have happened if you hadn’t hit that yellow square, huh? You could be gone right now. You shouldn’t have just walked in by yourself!”

Atem’s gaze was steady. “Yuugi,” he said. “This was something I had to do.”

“Why do you get to decide that?” Yuugi said. “How do you think it felt to stand back and watch you go through this alone?”

“Yuugi—”

“We’re supposed to be in this together, Pharaoh,” Yuugi said. “You and me. We’re supposed to face things together. After everything that’s happened, how can you just—”

He stopped, his voice choking off. Atem’s gaze flashed with pain and Yuugi immediately regretted his outburst, but he didn’t take it back. For a moment the room was silent, an echoing sort of silence that made Yuugi’s chest hurt.

“Yuugi,” Anzu said finally, her voice quiet. She rested a hand on Yuugi’s arm. “Hey, it’s okay. We’re all together now, and nobody got hurt. That’s good, right?”

“Hey, and we get some cool prizes to boot!” Jou said, approaching the statue. He lifted the gold, gleaming object from its outstretched hands, and there was a clinking sound of metal on metal. “Whoa. It’s like chain mail or something.”

“I think it’s supposed to be some kind of armor,” Honda said, coming closer and feeling it between his fingers. “That’s awesome.”

Jou held out the armor towards Atem. “Here, man. You earned this.”

Atem shook his head. “You should take it, Jou,” he said. “You were the one who solved the puzzles that got us here. It’s yours.”

“Oh, man, are you sure?” Jou said, wide-eyed. When Atem nodded, Jou grinned and slipped the armor over his head. He admired it, holding his arms out and twisting them to see from different angles. “Oh, yeah. This stuff was made for me.”

There was a scraping sound of stone on stone again and the five of them looked over in surprise. The statue was shifting, disappearing into the ground. Behind it was a dark doorway set into the stone. Their exit from the trial, Yuugi guessed.

“All right,” Jou said, cracking his knuckles. “We’re making real progress now. Let’s get moving, I can take anything now that I’ve got this sweet armor.”

He and Honda headed straight for the exit. Yuugi could feel both Anzu and Atem trying to catch his gaze, and Yuugi ignored them both. He kept his gaze fixed straight ahead and walked straight through the stone doorway, going lightheaded as a familiar feeling of weightlessness took him.

* * *

Before he even opened his eyes, Atem could feel how cold it was.

It wasn’t just a bit of a chill, either. It was a brutal kind of cold, the kind of cold that entered his bones and tried to pierce his skin. Shards of ice whipped into his face, numbing his mouth and ears and cheeks. He wasn’t used to cold like this.

He blinked his eyes open, and for a moment couldn’t see anything. It was snowing too heavily, the wind and the ice coming down in sheets, and all he could see was white. He looked around and his friends were all squinting out into the snow next to him, their expressions bewildered and displeased.

The five of them shifted closer to one another—Atem didn’t even realize they were doing it at first, but it felt essential to keep track of one another when they could barely see a few feet from their noses. “Where are we?” Yuugi said through the chattering of his teeth.

“It’s like a…a tundra,” Honda said. “Like we were dropped into the middle of the Arctic.”

Anzu shivered and curled her arms around her body. She glared at Jonouchi. “You just _had_ to ask the universe for somewhere cooler, didn’t you?” she said.


	5. Trial Five: The Tundra

“I feel like I’m a dressed up as a wild animal or something,” Anzu said. “Like I’m in a Halloween costume.”

She was holding out her arms to look down at the thick fur coat she was wearing. She, Jou, Honda, Yuugi, and Atem were all huddled together in a small, mostly-empty house, a fire crackling in the fireplace at the other side of the room. There was an entire village here, modest in size but thriving in its community; the five of them had stumbled upon it soon after being dumped in the middle of a blizzard.

Atem knew it wasn’t just luck they’d found this place. Like everything else, he assumed they were led here deliberately. The villagers hadn’t questioned their presence at all—they’d offered warm clothes and hot food and shelter to ride out the storm without so much as batting an eyelid.

The warm clothes helped with the freezing cold, but they still had the blizzard to worry about outside. Atem was pretty sure that this next trial would force them back into that storm at some point.

“At least we’re warm now,” Jou said. He’d chosen to deck himself out with every possible piece of warm clothing available: a hat, gloves, a coat, even some warm boots. He’d been the one complaining the most while they were trapped in the snowstorm, claiming his nose and his fingers were about to fall off.

“The people here are so nice,” Yuugi said. He wrapped his arms around his knees and rested his chin on them. He’d taken the spot right next to the fire, as though to soak in as much warmth as possible. “They just gave us all these clothes and let us stay here without asking for anything in return.”

“It was almost eerie,” Honda said. “Like, they were _too_ eager to help us. Maybe there’s something they’re not telling us.”

“You’re paranoid,” Jou said. He lounged on the couch, stretching out his legs and folding his arms behind his head. “I’m just glad we’re finally being treated like we deserve, instead of getting hauled off to prison or whatever. At least someone is finally being nice to us.”

“Maybe that’s why it’s weird,” Yuugi said. “Nobody has offered us anything before. Nobody has shown us kindness. Everything that’s happened to us has been intended to challenge us. This could be part of another challenge, and we just don’t realize it.”

Anzu shivered. She wrapped her arms around herself, pulling her furs closer so they were wrapped more tightly around her body. “I don’t want to think about any of that,” she said. “I just want to rest for a minute. We might as well, while we have the chance.”

The five of them stayed in their little shelter as evening turned into night, and got some sleep for the first time in what felt like ages. Jou passed out almost immediately, sprawled over the couch, his mouth hanging open as he snored. Anzu curled up in an armchair, and Honda and Yuugi took up the floor near the fire.

Atem took the other couch, but he couldn’t sleep. He stared at the ceiling as the night wore on, listening to the sounds of his friends breathing, trying to settle himself. The exhaustion from the previous trial still lingered, and he should have been tumbling into sleep, but his mind wouldn’t stop reeling. It was like the exhaustion didn’t belong to him—it was someone else’s, someone who knew what it meant to rest and forget and relax.

Yuugi’s words from a few hours earlier pounded through his head. Atem didn’t regret his decision to take on the previous trial alone, but he regretted how it had hurt Yuugi as a result. Atem had done everything he could to keep Yuugi from harm, and Yuugi had suffered anyway. It seemed that Atem could never make a choice without hurting someone he cared about.

The floor creaked suddenly, and Atem glanced over, puzzled. Yuugi was gone—his blanket was left in a heap on the floor beside the fire. Atem frowned and swung his legs out of bed, worried Yuugi was sneaking off to take on the trial himself.

The front door was cracked open. Yuugi was standing on the front porch of their borrowed house, his arms resting on the railing, his gaze distant and his breath fogging the air in front of him. The blizzard had lightened into gentle snowfall, and it sparkled in the moonlight like glitter.

“Yuugi?” Atem said quietly.

Yuugi jumped and looked over in surprise. “Oh,” he huffed, relaxing again. “It’s you, Pharaoh.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Atem approached, leaning one elbow on the railing at Yuugi’s side. “Are you feeling all right?”

Yuugi nodded. “I couldn’t sleep,” he said. “My mind wouldn’t stop wandering.” His gaze was fixed out on the snow again, going a little unfocused. He rubbed his fingers together as though to warm them. “It’s so quiet here. It would be peaceful if it weren’t for the imminent danger.”

“Hmm,” Atem agreed. It wasn’t just the fact that so few people lived here, in this village, that made it feel so peaceful—it was also something about the covering of snow. It absorbed sound, leaving everything feeling slightly muted, almost muffled.

“Pharaoh, I—” Yuugi looked over again suddenly, and he looked upset. His throat jumped as he swallowed. “I’m sorry for what I said. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.”

Atem blinked in surprise. “There’s no need to apologize, Yuugi,” he said. “I understand why you were upset.” He sighed. “I don’t regret what I chose to do. But I’m sorry I hurt you in the process.”

“I still shouldn’t have blamed you like I did.” Yuugi hesitated. He played with a fistful of snow, letting it gather on his fingers and drip onto the railing as it melted. “The more I thought about it—well, I think I understand why you did it now.”

“Yes,” Atem said. “I did it to keep you and everyone else out of harm’s way.”

“It’s more than that, though.” Yuugi fixed his gaze on Atem’s, and his eyes were probing, searching. “It’s about the Orichalcos, isn’t it?”

Atem stared, taken aback. “I…what?” he managed finally. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“It has to do with everything,” Yuugi said. “You’re trying to prove to me that you won’t let me be hurt again. You’re trying to keep me away from danger, so you can ease the guilt you still feel.” His expression was sharp. “You’re trying to prove to yourself that you deserve my forgiveness.”

Atem opened his mouth to deny it, but something stopped him. Consciously, he hadn’t even thought about that. He’d tried so hard to forget the Orichalcos and everything it had done to himself and his friends. All he’d wanted to do after it was all over was move on, and it seemed that Yuugi had wanted that, too. Atem figured the best thing he could do was try and let it go, for both of their sakes.

“Yuugi…” Atem paused, swallowed back a sudden swell in the back of his throat. He hadn’t felt something like that in a while, and it was a little alarming. He was usually so good at keeping his emotions in check. “What I did to you…what I _became_ …” He shook his head. “You suffered so deeply because of my actions, when all you’ve ever offered me is friendship and kindness. You gave me a new life, and all I’ve done in return is hurt you.”

“That’s not _true,_ Pharaoh.”

“It is true.” Atem clenched his jaw. The emotion was too tight around his throat, like it was choking him. “Nothing I could ever do could earn your forgiveness, Yuugi. I don’t deserve—”

“ _Stop_.” Yuugi was glaring at him. He stepped closer, until they were nearly chest to chest. Yuugi tilted his chin up so their eyes were locked. “You’re wrong. You’re wrong about all of it. Everything I am now, that’s all because of you. I’m stronger because of you. I have _friends_ because of you. And I wouldn’t give that up for anything, not for one second, not the pain or the hurt or _anything_.” Yuugi’s eyes were wet, but his gaze was fierce. “You don’t need to do anything to earn my forgiveness. You had my forgiveness as soon as my soul was taken. I never needed to forgive you in the first place.”

Atem stared at him, his mouth hanging open. “Yuugi,” he said, his voice coming out hoarse and unteady.

“The Orichalcos warped you,” Yuugi said. “That’s what it did to everyone. To Mai, and to Raphael, and to Dartz. I _know_ you, Pharaoh. If you were truly a bad person, you wouldn’t have gone through everything that you did to save me.”

Atem shook his head, instinctively trying to deny it. “But…”

“It was my choice, Pharaoh,” Yuugi said. He rubbed at his eyes. “I chose to let the Orichalcos take me, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I’d do it a million times, and I wouldn’t regret it. So you need to stop hating yourself, because I can’t—” He broke off briefly, sucking in a sharp breath. “I can’t watch you put yourself in danger for my sake, just because you feel needlessly guilty. You’re too important to me. You’re the _most_ important person to me. So please, just…don’t push me away anymore. I can’t stand it.”

The feeling in Atem’s throat expanded, filling his chest and his lungs and leaving something warm that settled in his whole body. Yuugi was too good, too kind, and Atem didn’t know what he’d done to earn Yuugi’s friendship.

He didn’t know how to express that feeling in words, so instead Atem reached out, pulling Yuugi into his arms in a tight embrace. Yuugi tensed for a brief second in surprise and then he let out a shuddering breath and relaxed against Atem’s body, arms winding around him and gripping tightly.

Atem closed his eyes. Yuugi was incredibly warm, in spite of the cold, and Atem was struck with the realization that they’d never really done this before, never were able to touch directly, at least not in this particular way. There was a relief in it, as though Atem had been waiting for the contact and the warmth, like he’d been searching for it without realizing it. He tightened his grip a little, and Yuugi sighed in response, a contented sound.

“Thank you, Yuugi,” Atem murmured. “Even if don’t deserve your forgiveness, I will gladly accept it.”

Yuugi hummed. “I’ll take that for now,” he mumbled, and Atem chuckled.

Yuugi drew back after a moment, and Atem let him. Yuugi was frowning at Atem’s chest; his eyes were still a little red, but he seemed calmer. “It’s so strange,” Yuugi said quietly. “Being able to hear your heartbeat. I never thought I’d be able to.” He jerked his head up, and his eyes were wide. “Back in the last trial—when the lightning hit you—I could _feel_ that. It was like it was echoing through you and into me.”

Atem’s gut twisted with the memory. “I know,” he said.

“You know?”

Atem nodded. “When the guard in that palace—the one where we got this”—he tapped the amber necklace around his throat—“when he used his spear on you, it was like it was happening to me, too.” He swallowed. “I’m sorry, Yuugi. If I’d known that you’d be able to feel all of that, too—”

Yuugi shook his head. “It’s not your fault,” he said. He narrowed his eyes. “Stop feeling guilty.”

Atem smiled; he couldn’t help it. “I suppose that means we _are_ still connected somehow,” he said. “I’m not sure how it’s possible, without the Millennium Puzzle.”

“Or what it means for the rest of these trials,” Yuugi said worriedly. “But if we’re still connected, how come I can’t hear your thoughts?”

“Maybe we’ve just been going about it wrong,” Atem suggested. “Maybe it’s just about patience, waiting for the specific thing that will tip it off. There were times when we were in danger, and I thought I heard your voice much clearer.”

Yuugi sighed. “It’s kind of a relief,” he said. “I was starting to worry that…well…” He shrugged. “That our connection had weakened somehow, or had broken entirely. I didn’t like thinking about that.”

Atem raised his eyebrows, a little surprised. “You were worried about that?” he said.

“Of course I was. I actually sort of thought…” Yuugi cleared his throat. “I thought something had changed after our souls were separated by the Orichalcos. I was scared something was wrong.”

The tight feeling in Atem’s throat reappeared. He would have thought Yuugi would be relieved by their sudden separation. “Nothing has changed,” Atem said. He reached for Yuugi’s shoulders and squeezed. “This place is meant to test us, Yuugi. I’m certain it’s testing our bond, as well. Don’t let it get the better of you.”

Yuugi nodded. He smiled, and his expression seemed lighter, like a weight had been lifted off of him. He opened his mouth as though to speak again, but the sound of some other voices cut him off and they both looked over in surprise.

Three disheveled figures staggered out into view, two men and one woman. One of the men was being supported between the others; his shoulders were slumped and his hair was a mess around his face. All three of them were wearing ripped, bloodstained clothes and their expressions were frantic, panicked. They staggered under the weight of their friend but they moved desperately, like they were trying to get away from something.

Atem and Yuugi hurried off the porch and towards the three figures. Up close, the man in the middle of the group seemed to be unconscious; there was blood matted at his hairline and his face was alarmingly pale. The man and the woman supporting him looked up in surprise when Yuugi and Atem approached.

“What happened?” Yuugi asked.

“We need to get out of here,” the woman said. She was breathing heavily, like she’d been running for a long time. “It’s coming. We can’t stay out here, we can’t let it find us. It will kill us.”

A sharp chill raced up Atem’s spine, a feeling that had nothing to do with the cold. “Let’s get inside, then,” Atem said, nodding at their borrowed house. “Hurry.”

The three of them followed Yuugi and Atem inside the house and they shut the door behind them, locking it. Anzu shot upright in bed with the noise, blinking drearily, and Jou and Honda followed suit soon after. “Huh?” Jou said, looking around wildly. “S’goinon? Fighting time?”

“Be quiet!” the woman hissed, she and her friend placing their injured companion carefully on the floor. “Nobody move. If it hears us, it’ll come find us.”

“What?” Honda said, blinking in confusion. “What will find us?”

There was a sound from outside, then, and they all fell silent, listening. It sounded like footsteps, almost, but they were too loud, too heavy, so heavy they made the ground shake. Atem made for the window and peered outside, squinting through the snow.

He couldn’t see very clearly in the dark and with the snowfall, but he could just make out the outline of an enormous, dark creature moving slowly beyond the boundary of the village. It was so large that it towered over the houses. One of its feet could crush a human being beneath it with ease. Atem’s blood went cold at the sight and he gripped the windowsill until his knuckles went white.

Yuugi joined him, following his gaze, and his jaw dropped open. The eight of them were silent as the creature passed by, hardly daring to breathe, quiet enough that a pin dropping on the floor would have startled them. After what felt like an eternity, the thundering footsteps faded, and their three guests breathed a sigh of relief.

“It should be safe now,” the woman said. “I’m sorry for stumbling upon you like this. Thank you for your help. My name is Roe—this is my partner Jack, and our sleeping friend over there is Layton.”

“Is he hurt?” Anzu said, climbing off the couch and approaching Layton, who was still unconscious on the floor.

“He’ll be all right,” Jack said. He removed his hat and shook snow out of his hair. “He’s had worse.”

“I bet there’s first aid stuff in here, though,” Anzu said. “I’ll try and find something we can use to patch him up.”

She left the room, and Atem stepped towards the three guests, folding his arms. “What happened to the three of you?” Atem asked. “And what was that _thing_ outside?”

“That thing is the monster that’s been plaguing our town for generations,” Roe said, her voice turning heavy. “A creature of ice. It lives out in the tundra and attacks anyone who comes near. With it lurking out there, we’ve struggled to find food and supplies out of fear of being killed.”

“We were trying to finally hunt it down,” Jack said. “We’ve been training for years. But the thing was too strong for us.”

Anzu returned with a first aid kit. “This should do the trick,” she said brightly. She knelt down at Layton’s side, and Jack joined her, the two of them setting to work dressing Layton’s wounds.

“I don’t recognize any of you,” Roe said, while they worked. She looked from Yuugi and Atem over to Honda and Jou, her gaze probing as though trying to place their faces. “Where did you come from?”

“We’re just visiting,” Jou said. “Trying to see the world, you know.”

“We got lost out in the tundra,” Honda added. “Really lost. Thought-we’d-all-die-out-there kind of lost.”

“Your village is full of very kind people,” Atem said. “We would still be lost if you hadn’t offered us shelter.”

Roe smiled. “Kindness leads to kindness,” she said. “My people helped you, and you in turn helped me and my friends. I believe good deeds repay themselves.”

Under Anzu and Jack’s careful work, Layton seemed to revive himself. He woke up and looked around in confusion, but after the initial disorientation he seemed fine. “We won’t stay in your hair,” Jack said, as he helped Jou and Honda stoke the fire. “Now that the beast is gone, it should be safe to return home.”

“Before you leave,” Atem said, “tell us where to find this ice creature.”

Jack and Roe stared at him blankly. “Why?” Roe said. She narrowed her eyes. “You aren’t planning on going after it, are you? It’s suicide—my people train for years to be able to fight against it, and none have ever prevailed.”

“It’s harming you and your people,” Atem said. “It can’t be allowed to continue on like this.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Roe said. “You’re just visitors here. This isn’t your fight.”

“Then at least let us help you,” Atem said. “Lead us to the creature, and allow us to fight alongside you.”

Roe’s gaze flickered between Atem and his companions, one by one, as though waiting to see if he was joking. “You’re…serious,” she said. “You really want to help.”

“No offense,” Jack said, “but what makes you think you can stand up to something like that?”

“Well,” Yuugi said. “We do have this.” He took his knife off his belt, and unsheathed it. Flames swept along the metal, engulfing it, and Roe and Jack both gasped, leaping backwards. They stared, stunned, at the way the blade hummed and glowed.

“That’s incredible,” Roe whispered. She looked over at her companion. “Jack—maybe they really can help.”

“We _will_ help,” Yuugi said, replacing the blade in its sheath. “Just tell us what we need to know about this thing, and we’ll take it down. I promise.”

There was an overwhelming amount of conviction in his voice, and Atem smiled at the look of determination on Yuugi’s face. It was an expression he’d grown very familiar with—the expression every time he prepared to step into a duel.

Roe and Jack sat down with them, and explained everything they knew as the fire faded into embers. “It’s impossible to tell where exactly it will appear,” Roe said. Her hands were clasped between her knees and her voice had immediately grown heavy when she’d started talking about this, like even the memory of the creature weighed on her. “Sometimes it won’t show itself for months, and we’ll think we’re safe, only for it to appear on a hunting trip and take down twelve villagers at once. We’ve learned not to grow complacent.”

“It’s hard to tell where it will appear, too,” Jack said. “But we’ve been tracking its patterns for years, and it seems that it spends most of its time near Calgary Lake, at the base of the hills. We think it might have a hideout there, a cave where it lives, maybe, but none of us have ever gotten close enough to find out for sure.”

“Is there anything specific that draws its attention when you try and hunt it down?” Atem said. “Something that you do to draw it out of its hiding place?”

Roe and Jack both shook their heads. “We just wait for it to appear,” Roe said. “It always does. It’s like it can smell us or something.”

“We’ve been trying to fight it with arrows, mostly,” Jack said. “There’s this spot on its head—it’s the only place that seems to affect it in any way. Attacking the rest of its body is useless because of how strong it is. Like it’s made of rocks.”

“Do you have extra weapons?” Atem asked. “Bows and arrows maybe?”

Roe nodded. “We can get some equipment from the other end of the village, in the storage shed. We should take Layton there anyway, make sure he gets rest.”

“I’m _fine_ ,” Layton said, but his gaze was still unfocused and his eyes were tight with pain. “I could go another round or two with that thing.”

“Leave that to us, buddy,” Jou said, clapping Layton on the shoulder and making him wince. “We’re seasoned professionals. We’ll take it from here.”

For such a small village, they were surprisingly well-stocked with weapons. Jack and Roe led them to the supply shed, only a ten minute walk away. While Roe took Layton home, Jack showed them the available weapons and gave them tips with choosing one that suited them. Anzu and Honda both picked out wooden bows and Jou chose a metal-tipped spear.

“This thing is awesome,” he said, holding it out menacingly from his body. “I could get used to this.”

Yuugi flinched and ducked out of the way of Jou’s spear, his eyes wide with terror. “Be careful with that thing, Jou!” he said, creeping behind Atem like he intended to use Atem’s body as a shield. “You could hurt someone.”

“Relax, Yuug,” Jou said. “What’s the point of this if you can’t have a little fun?” He strapped the spear across his back, and cracked his neck. “So, what’s the plan here?”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Atem said. “I have a couple ideas.”

Yuugi turned towards him, eyes narrowed. “You’re not planning to charge in yourself again, are you?” he said.

Atem smiled. “No,” he said. “Actually, you’re going to charge ahead this time.”

Yuugi blinked. “Huh?” he said.

“You have the flaming sword,” Atem explained. “We’re going to need that if we want to finish this trial. So the four of us, we’re going to give you an opening, so that you can get close to the beast.”

Yuugi nodded, the familiar look of determination in his gaze again. “Just tell me what I need to do,” he said.

Atem explained his plan. Essentially, he and the others would serve as distractions, keeping the beast’s attention divided so Yuugi would have an opening to attack. “Remember, aim for its head,” Atem said. “But anything you can do to weaken it, take the opportunity.” He raised his eyebrows. “Are you sure you can handle this?”

Yuugi nodded. His gaze was fierce. “I’m sure,” he said.

“Well, then, what are we waiting for?” Honda said, grinning. He thumped Yuugi on the shoulder. “Let’s go kick some ice monster ass!”

* * *

Going back into the tundra with winter coats and weapons was slightly better than the first time they’d braved it, but it still wasn’t exactly pleasant.

The walk was long. Roe and Jack seemed tired; they’d already taken this trek themselves twice today, so Atem couldn’t blame them. Still, they seemed to have placed their faith in Atem and the others. Perhaps they were so desperate for the end of their suffering that they would have trusted anyone who claimed to be able to help.

It was growing brighter, now, the sun just barely beginning to light the sky again, but the snow had picked back up and it stung Atem’s exposed skin. “If the snow gets too bad, it will reduce visibility,” Roe said. “If that happens, we’ll head back and try again when the snow eases up. We don’t want to get caught out here during a blizzard.”

They paused on top of a hill, and looked down. At the base of the hill was an enormous lake, frozen solid. The expanse of ice and snow sparkled in the rising sun, and the effect was almost blinding. “That’s Calgary Lake,” Jack said as they caught their breaths. “Roe and I, we usually make camp here and wait. It never takes long.”

The seven of them sat together to wait. Roe and Jack made a fire, quickly and expertly, and they all crowded around it as the wind and snow picked up. It wasn’t long before they were all shivering, trying to protect their faces with scarves and hoods and the collars of their coats. None of it did much good. It was like the cold found every available gap between clothing and every exposed inch of skin.

“We can head back,” Roe said over the wind. “Come back tomorrow morning.”

“No way,” Jou said. “We came all the way here, we’re gonna fight this thing.”

Atem admired Jou’s resilience and wanted to echo it, but the cold really was getting to him and he was starting to worry about Yuugi, who was shivering like a leaf at Atem’s shoulder, arms wrapped tightly around his knees. Atem was about to suggest they head back for the moment and regroup in a few hours once the snow had died down, but the sudden, low rumble of the ground underneath them stopped him.

“Did you guys feel that?” Anzu said, her eyes going wide.

“It’s coming,” Roe said. She leapt to her feet, spear gripped tightly in her hand, and Jack followed her example, slipping its bow free.

Atem and the others stood, drawing their own weapons. “Are you ready for this, Yuugi?” Atem asked, glancing over.

Yuugi looked frightened, much more frightened than before, like the fierce determination from earlier had been chipped away at by the cold. He nodded, though, and slid his sword free of its holster. “Just give me an opening,” he said. “I’m ready.”

The low thud of footsteps was getting steadily louder. Atem searched their surroundings, but he saw no sign of the creature. He and his friends waited, barely breathing, until finally a dark figure began to take shape out of the sheets of snow.

It was even more enormous up close than it had seemed from a distance, and it made Atem’s whole body feel numb. The thing was like a bear, its icy hands curled into long, sharp claws, its body bulking and misshapen. Craning his head up and up, Atem could finally see its face, a shapeless mess of ice and snow, but a row of unmistakable sharp teeth set into it, almost like icicles. On its forehead was a spot of blue, clearer than the rest of its body and just barely glowing.

The thing growled and paused, as though it could sense them. The ground shook as it shifted its weight. “The spot on its head,” Atem muttered to Yuugi. “Can you see it?”

Yuugi nodded. “I see it.”

“Don’t hesitate. This thing’s weakness will be its speed. Just be faster than it is, and you’ll be able to get close.” Atem forced his fear down into the pit of his stomach, crushing it there until his hands steadied. “Get ready.”

Roe raised her spear. “Let’s go!” she shrieked, and threw herself towards the monster.

Roe and Luke were clearly experienced with fighting this monster; they understood its movements and tactics, and evaded them quickly and efficiently. They ducked out of the way a breath before the monster’s hand swiped past them and landed hits to its legs and body with their weapons. Their skill was astonishing.

In comparison, Atem and his friends struggled. None of them were particularly good shots with a bow, and they didn’t understand the monster’s attacks the way Roe and Luke did. Nevertheless, they did their own damage and created effective distractions, allowing Yuugi to get closer to the beast with his sword.

The beast roared, furious, its attention diverted to six separate points, and its movements became wilder, more erratic. “Now, Yuugi!” Atem called, drawing back an arrow and preparing to fire it if he needed to direct the creature’s attention back to him.

Yuugi lunged forward, his sword held aloft. He could only reach the creature’s leg, but if they could remove one of its legs and set it off-balance, that would shift the tide of the battle immensely.

Unfortunately, they’d miscalculated. The creature’s movements were too wild, too unpredictable. A moment before Yuugi’s sword could make contact with the creature’s body, its arm shot out and slammed into Yuugi chest, throwing him backwards and sending his sword flying out of his hand.

Atem lowered his bow and broke into a run. The creature was still coming towards Yuugi like it intended to crush him into pieces, and Yuugi was struggling just to sit up, his face twisted up in pain. The distractions weren’t working. The creature roared, the sound of it piercing Atem’s ears like hot metal.

Atem staggered to a stop, placing himself between Yuugi and the monster. Atem’s body crackled with energy and something hot was flaring to life at his throat, just beneath his collarbone. He didn’t think first; he held up his hand and let the feeling of energy thread through his whole body and out his fingers, arcing straight towards the creature.

The creature shrieked in pain as the lightning engulfed its body, crackling around it and rendering it immobile. The amber stone hummed against Atem’s skin, like it was relishing the ability to finally let out its power. The feeling was unnerving, but it didn’t make Atem feel out of control, the way he’d feared.

Atem closed his fingers, testing his ability to control the power, and the lightning surged in response. The creature screamed again, and the ground shook.

“Yuugi,” Atem said, over the wind and the monster’s yells. He glanced over. “Now’s your chance. Hurry!”

Yuugi nodded briskly. He looked unharmed, if a little shaken. He reached for his sword and got to his feet with it clutched in one hand. Atem expected him to run at the creature. Instead, Yuugi clenched his jaw, narrowed his eyes, and threw the sword like a javelin.

It was a flawless throw. The blade sank into the creatures head right between its eyes—or where its eyes should have been—and it gave a last desperate wail of agony as it crumbled. It was like it fell apart piece by piece, turning into dust and shards of ice and piles of soft, harmless snow. Yuugi’s sword fell into the snow with a gentle _poof_ , and something else landed beside it, something dark blue.

For a moment there was silence, except for the sound of their breaths. Then Yuugi gave a low, pained, sound, and Atem looked over in time to see his knees go out from underneath him. “Yuugi—” Atem reached for him, gripping his shoulders, keeping him from collapsing. “Easy, I’ve got you. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Yuugi said, his voice tight. He had one hand pressed against his ribs and his jaw was tight, but he gave a wry smile. “That thing packs a punch. I’ll be okay.”

Atem relaxed a little in relief. “You were incredible, Yuugi. I’m proud of you.”

Yuugi’s smile widened into the real thing. “Only because you believed in me,” he said. “Besides, we did it together. That thing with the lightning—wow. That was amazing.”

“Yuugi!” another voice called. Anzu was running toward them, Jou and Honda trailing behind. Their expressions were beaming with relief at first, but Anzu’s face fell with concern when she got a better look at them. “Yuugi, are you injured?”

“I’m all right.” Yuugi gripped Atem’s arm and the two of them got to their feet. “I guess we finished the fifth trial.”

“We’re _blowing_ through these now,” Jou said, pumping his fist in the air. “Oh, man, Yuug—that throw with the sword, what a great move! And Pharaoh, those lightning powers—can I have a shot with that amber necklace at some point? _Please_?”

“Don’t get greedy,” Anzu said, thumping Jou on the back of the head. “You have golden armor. Count your blessings.”

“Yeah, but it’s not a cool elemental weapon, now is it? Am I not allowed to have two things?”

“Speaking of elemental weapons,” Honda said. He was bent down where Yuugi’s sword had fallen, rooting around in the snow for something. He came back with Yuugi’s sword in one hand and a blue gemstone in the other. “I guess this is our prize for this trial.”

“You think it’s like the Pharaoh’s necklace?” Anzu said. “An ice weapon, maybe?”

“Oh, dude!” Jou said, looking at it longingly. “I would kill for that. Come on guys, please? I want to shoot things with ice.”

“Honda doesn’t have a prize yet,” Anzu said. “He should take it.”

Honda shrugged. “I don’t mind if Jou takes it,” he said.

He held it out towards Jou, and Jou grinned, picking it up out of Honda’s palm and holding it up triumphantly. “Oh man,” he said. “I’m gonna do some damage with this baby.”

Anzu sighed in exasperation. She glared at Honda. “Look what you did. I hope you’re still happy when we’re all encased in ice.”

“Jou will be careful,” Honda said. “Right, Jou?”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Jou slipped the stone into his pocket. “I wonder what we’re getting these prizes for, anyway.”

“Well, they have helped us a lot,” Yuugi pointed out. “We couldn’t have gotten through this trial without the flaming sword.”

“Maybe I’ll save the day next trial,” Jou said. “With my fancy new ice rock.” He looked around. “Where are we supposed to go now, anyway?”

“Roe and Jack are gone,” Anzu realized. “I thought they were still here. Where did they go?”

“They were only part of the challenge,” Atem said. “The entire village was. I doubt they were fully real.” He looked down at the lake, and frowned when he noticed something in the ice. A jagged hole had carved itself into its surface, and the water beneath it was glowing softly. “I think our next challenge might be down there.”

His friends followed his gaze. “Oh, great,” Honda said. “We need to jump into icy water now?”

“What’s a little more hypothermia?” Jou said. He led the way, sliding a little as he headed down the hill. “Let’s get going. We’re in the homestretch now.”

* * *

Jumping straight into cold water was even more unnerving than Yuugi had expected, in a completely different way than he would have thought.

The cold was there, but there was no feeling of water pressure, nothing dampening his hair or his clothes. Instead, there was just the usual feeling of weightlessness that tugged at him, like it was throwing his body into empty air. It was the feeling of jumping off a cliff without knowing whether there was anything below. He seemed to fall forever, and he wondered how many times he would fall through nothing like this, until he landed in another trial, another horror, another game that would test his resolve.

He didn’t have very long to let those thoughts linger. His feet hit solid ground, and he opened his eyes to dark trees lit by firelight.

He and his friends had landed in the middle of what looked like a small, primitive village. Surrounding them were tents made out of white cloth and haphazard homes made of sticks and mud. An enormous campfire was in the middle of the village, and at the edges of it were pale, lanky creatures holding sharp, flaming torches.

They weren’t human, not quite. Their faces were too long and pure white, so white they reflected the firelight in a way that was almost blinding. Set in their faces were red eyes in the shape of slits and sharp, silver teeth like shards of glass. Their fingers were slender and their fingernails were long and curved. Their eyes were zeroed in on Yuugi and his friends, and their teeth were bared in a way that was unmistakably hostile.

They looked…hungry.

“Is it too late to run?” Anzu whispered.

One of the creatures made a sound like a shriek, a horribly inhuman sound like metal grating against metal. It made Yuugi want to curl over in terror and shove his hands over his ears. The sound froze him, terrified, in place, as the creatures came lunging towards him and his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Drop a comment if you get the chance <3


	6. Trial Six: Enemies of Iron

When they’d first arrived in this trial, Yuugi had only seen a handful of nonhuman creatures. When the creatures surrounded him and his friends, it seemed like they had multiplied. There were so many of them that Yuugi didn’t even have time to reach for his flame sword before he was overwhelmed completely.

Cold hands grabbed at him, curling around his arms and his wrists and his neck. Their fingers were long and their nails dug into Yuugi’s skin, and he fought against them, but their strength was like iron. His yells were choked off as a gag was tied around his head, and he was pulled forcibly away from his friends, kicking and twisting.

Someone called his name, but the voice was too far away, and Yuugi couldn’t have answered anyway. The creatures pulled him into one of the cloth tents, and Yuugi blinked rapidly, disoriented as his surroundings went dark. Iron hands wrapped thick ropes around his wrists and secured them to a pole at the center of the tent.

The hands let him go, then, and Yuugi tugged experimentally at the ropes to see how secure they were. They were wrapped so tight that he was already losing feeling in his fingers, and they held firm when he pulled at them. He groaned and tugged harder anyway, and winced when it pulled painfully at the joints on his shoulders, bending them to the wrong angle.

One of the creatures bent down so its face was level with Yuugi’s. Yuugi stopped struggling, petrified, his eyes blowing wide. The creatures were even more horrifying up close—its eyes were like two dark holes in its face, like they just went on and on and on, deeper and deeper without end. It fixed its gaze on Yuugi like it was searching Yuugi’s thoughts.

It raised its hand, and its fingers curled and uncurled an inch from Yuugi’s jaw. Yuugi couldn’t move, unable to even tear his gaze away from the creature’s. Instead he sat there, shaking, bile rising in his throat to sit, acrid, at the back of his tongue. The creature’s mouth split into a horrible grimace that might have been a smile, and it growled, low and hungry. Its breath was sour and sharp, like rotten vegetables.

Just as Yuugi expected the creature’s teeth to sink into his throat, it drew back, lowering its hand. It gave another low growl in its throat, and headed for the exit of the tent; it moved like a spider, crawling on all four of its too-long limbs.

As soon as the tent was empty, Yuugi started breathing again. He went to work at the ropes again, more frantic than before. Now that he wasn’t terrified about being eaten, his head was clearing enough to think, and fear curled inside him as he thought about his friends. Yuugi hadn’t been able to see them during the struggle, but he assumed they’d been taken away too. Those creatures might not have been as merciful with them as they’d been with Yuugi.

Yuugi groaned and tugged harder at the ropes, and winced when pain shot through his arms. He was only going to tear up his skin if he kept at this—he could already feel the skin of his wrists burning.

He gave up for the moment and looked around the tent, searching for something he could use. He still had his knife, strapped to his hip, but even if he managed to wriggle it out of its holster, he wouldn’t be able to get it into his hand to use it. Yuugi yanked at the ropes in frustration and grunted as pain traveled up and down his arms like needles.

He could hear the creatures shuffling outside on their too-long legs, probably trying to determine the best way to eat Yuugi and his friends. Or maybe they planned to keep Yuugi and his friends for months, fattening them up until they were at perfect eating size. Yuugi thought about being trapped in this dirty tent for more than an hour and strained even harder against the ropes.

Since he had no other choice, he went to work shimmying his knife out of its holster. It was trapped securely against his hip, and it took a while to even get the correct angle. Once he finally found it, the knife began to move centimeter by centimeter, and Yuugi redoubled his efforts. It only seemed to backfire; every time he managed to slide his knife an inch out of the holster, he would move wrong and it would slide back into place, losing him all his progress.

There was a loud sound outside, then, a horrible metallic shrieking sound, and Yuugi jumped in surprise. He couldn’t see much through the fabric of the tent, but the firelight cast several blurry shadows, moving violently as though attacking one another. There was another, louder shriek and then the sound of crackling, like breaking glass.

Everything went silent. Yuugi’s heart flew into the back of his throat when a pair of hands pushed aside the flaps of the tent. A head poked itself inside, and a familiar voice said, “Yuug, is that you?”

Yuugi huffed in relief at the sound of Jonouchi’s voice. He couldn’t speak, but he made a sound of affirmation and tugged pointedly at the ropes around his wrists. Jou smiled and stepped towards him, kneeling beside him on the ground. He undid the gag around Yuugi’s head, and Yuugi sighed in relief. “Jou, how did you get past those things?” he asked.

“With this baby,” Jou said, tapping the blue pendant at his neck. “Froze ‘em all in place. They tried to attack me when we first got here, but my golden armor protected me, so I was able to get away.”

“Did you see the others?”

“Nope. You’re the first one I found. We’ll track down the others next.” Jou tugged at the ropes on Yuugi’s wrists, and Yuugi winced. “Damn. These are tight.”

“My knife,” Yuugi said. “You can use my knife to cut through them, it’s strapped to my hip.”

“Gotcha.” Jou slid Yuugi’s knife free of its holster and sawed at the ropes. A moment later they snapped free and Yuugi drew his hands back, rubbing at his red, abused wrists. The skin was raw and shredded from the friction.

“You okay?” Jou asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Yuugi pushed himself to his feet. “We need to find the others. And we’d better hurry, those _things_ are strong.”

It was dark outside, even with a fire still brewing. When he stepped out of the tent, Yuugi was frozen for a moment in stunned silence as he got to see what the ice pendant had done to the creatures. Yuugi had expected them to be encased in blocks of ice, but it wasn’t like that at all. Instead, it was like their bodies had actually turned into ice, freezing them in place. Their skin had turned dark blue, their teeth were bared in fury, and their eyes were blank and unseeing.

“Whoa,” Yuugi breathed, pausing an inch from one of the creature’s faces. “That stone is powerful.”

“I know, right?” Jou patted Yuugi on the shoulder. “Those things won’t stand a chance against the two of us.”

As it turned out, there weren’t any creatures left at the camp at all. Yuugi and Jou crept past a dozen tents, peeking inside each one and keeping their footsteps as silent as possible and jumping at the tiniest noise, but it seemed as though the monsters had simply fled. “They were probably scared of me,” Jou said, puffing up his chest, and Yuugi rolled his eyes.

Yuugi ducked his head into one of the smaller tents and found a figure slumped in the center of it. He tensed for a moment, panicked, but it wasn’t one of the creatures. “Anzu!” he gasped, racing forward.

“Anzu?” Jou said. He joined Yuugi inside the tent and the two of them knelt at Anzu’s side. Her head was slumped against her chest, and she appeared to be unconscious, her eyes closed and her face pale.

“Oh man,” Yuugi said. “Oh, shit. What do we do?”

“You think they hit her head or something?” Jou probed along Anzu’s scalp, looking for injuries. “I don’t see anything too bad. I mean, she’s not bleeding.”

“But she won’t wake up.” Yuugi tapped Anzu’s cheek lightly. “Anzu. Anzu, hey come on, can you hear me?”

Jou’s eyes went wide, then. “Dude,” he said. “Yuugi, your arms.”

“Huh?” Yuugi glanced down at his hands. The skin of his wrists had started to bleed, probably from how much he’d been yanking at the ropes. “Oh. It’s fine.”

“You need to bandage those.”

Yuugi ignored him and turned his attention back to Anzu. She was stirring finally, her eyelids fluttering. She raised her head, and then winced. “Ow,” she muttered.

Yuugi leaned in closer. “Anzu?” he whispered.

Anzu blinked a few times at him in bemusement. Then she gasped suddenly and shot upright. “Oh!” she said. “Yuugi?”

“Whoa.” Yuugi held up his hands. “Yeah, it’s me. Anzu, are you okay?”

“Um…” Anzu pressed her hand against the back of her head, and winced again. “I think so. What happened?”

“Good question,” Jou said. “I think those monsters got the better of you, Anzu.”

“That’s right,” Anzu breathed. “I remember. God, it was so horrible. I remember them all grabbing me, and then something hit the back of my head…” She looked from Yuugi to Jou, and back again. “Are you two okay? How did you escape?”

“I used my magic powers,” Jou said, swelling his chest to show off his golden chain mail. “Saved Yuugi’s butt, too. Now we just have to find the others.”

“Are you okay to walk?” Yuugi asked, eyeing Anzu doubtfully. “You must have hit your head pretty bad.”

“No, I’ll be okay, I’ll be—” Anzu tried to stand up and swayed dangerously. “Whoa.”

Yuugi and Jou both leapt forward to catch her. “Maybe one of us should stay behind with her, and one of us can go after the Pharaoh and Honda,” Yuugi said worriedly.

“No, no!” Anzu said. She pushed them both off and squared her shoulders, determined. “I’m fine, seriously. I can handle this. I want to help find the others.”

Jou and Yuugi exchanged glances. Yuugi sighed. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s go, then. Jou, any idea where they might have gone?”

“I think those creatures brought them away from the campsite,” Jou said. “I’m not sure where. We might have to head out into the trees, see what’s out there.”

“Great,” Anzu said. She ducked under the entrance to the tent. “Another death forest. That’s just what I wanted.”

* * *

This forest was a lot different from the first one. It didn’t feel sinister the way the first one had—instead, it felt…empty.

There were no stars up above, no moon. Everything was silent and still, and every one of Yuugi’s footsteps felt unbearably loud in his ears. He held up his makeshift torch he’d carried from the campsite, and tried to see how far the forest stretched out for, but there was no way to tell. It could have been miles long, and they might end up walking for hours before they found anything helpful.

“Maybe we shouldn’t be heading so far away from the campsite,” Anzu said, after they’d been searching for a good twenty minutes. “What if we’re moving too far away, and we end up getting lost?”

“It’s a definite possibility,” Jou muttered. “But we can’t just stop walking. They have to be somewhere around here, right? This forest can’t go on forever.”

He was probably right. All of these games were structured so distinctly, which meant there was always and end, always a limit. It didn’t mean Yuugi felt any calmer about their situation.

Just as he was about to suggest turning back and heading in another direction, there was a loud, grating, shrieking sound. He and his friends turned, startled, towards the noise, holding up their torches. “That was one of the creatures,” Jou said.

Yuugi glanced over at him, unsettled by the strange intensity in Jou’s voice. Jou’s expression was something Yuugi had never seen before—his eyes gleamed, catching the light of the fire, and his teeth were bared in what was almost, but not quite, a grin. Instead of looking nervous, like Yuugi might have expected, Jou seemed _excited._

“Let’s hurry,” Yuugi said, shaking off the unsettling feeling. He broke into a run, and his friends followed close behind him.

The air seemed colder than before, and it stung Yuugi’s face as they ran. He was so tired of feeling cold, and he wished he could just curl up in front of a fire for a few minutes until he finally felt warm again. He was contemplating this, trying to picture a the feeling of a cozy fireplace and a thick, furry blanket, when a horrible, sickening pain suddenly pierced his side.

Yuugi gasped. His gaze went black for a brief, terrifying second, and he yelled out instinctively. The pain made a home in his ribs, like a hook had reached in and taken hold of one of the bones. When he regained his vision, he was facedown in the dirt, panting for breath, his head spinning and his limbs shaking. His friends had stopped and turned to face him, and they were saying his name, their voices frightened.

Yuugi couldn’t answer them at first—he couldn’t find his breath. The initial pain was fading, but in its place, a numb, cold feeling was curling deep into his body, tendrils of it, like needles. Yuugi reached for his ribs and pressed one hand against the spot where the sensation was the worst, as though he could somehow find what was causing it and tear it out of his body.

“Yuugi,” Anzu was saying, her voice growing high-pitched with fear. “Yuugi, what’s wrong? Talk to us!”

“You’re so pale, man,” Jou said. “What’s going on? Are you hurt?”

It clicked, then, and horror twisted around Yuugi’s throat, choking him. He pushed himself up, sitting back on his heels. “The Pharaoh,” he panted. “It’s the Pharaoh. He’s hurt—badly.”

Jou and Anzu exchanged bewildered glances. “What?” Anzu said. “How do you know?”

“I just _do_.” Yuugi staggered to his feet, ignoring the lingering thrum of pain in his chest. “We need to hurry, come on!”

His friends didn’t seem to understand what he was talking about, but they ran alongside him, picking up the pace. Yuugi’s limbs were still shaking, and his lungs burned, and he ignored all of it, pumping his arms and legs. The pain in his chest wasn’t going away. _Maybe we took too long_ , he wondered. _Maybe we’re already too late_.

He shook off those thoughts frantically. Light rose in the distance—firelight—and he raced towards it with his friends right beside him.

What they walked into was too much of a mess to make sense of at first. Nearly fifty creatures had congregated at the mouth of an enormous, dark cave. There were so many of them that all Yuugi could see at first were long, white limbs and red eyes and sharp teeth. The creatures were all shrieking at something Yuugi couldn’t see, and they sounded furious. None of it made sense until a sudden flash of lightning came from somewhere in the middle of the fray.

Yuugi shielded his eyes from the light. The creatures shrieked angrily, but they otherwise didn’t seem affected by it. It only seemed to make them more furious.

When the lightning disappeared, Yuugi squinted, and could finally see two familiar figures standing at the mouth of the cave, surrounded by white creatures. He caught sight of Atem first, who seemed miraculously unhurt and was surrounded by what almost looked like a barrier of light, as though he’d used the power of his lightning stone to create a force field around his body.

The barrier was protecting Honda, too, who was standing just behind Atem. “We need to help them,” Yuugi said. He slid his knife free of its holster, but Jou put a hand on his arm, stopping him. Yuugi looked over at him in confusion.

“Let me, Yuug,” Jou said. There was that gleam in his eye again, the one that made Yuugi feel uneasy. “I’ve got this.”

“Are you sure?” Yuugi said, but Jou was already moving forward, throwing himself directly into the fray. “Jou, wait!”

The creatures heard his shout, and they turned to look at him. They barely had time to attack; their claws reached out for Jou, but their bodies turned to ice before they could even make contact. Even as more of them converged, their claws seemed to bounce harmlessly off Jou’s body.

“His golden armor is protecting him,” Anzu said.

Jou outstretched his hand, curling his fingers inward. With that one gesture, six of the creatures turned to ice and crumpled to the ground, like the life had been sucked out of them. The feeling of unease in Yuugi’s body grew sharper, stronger, settling heavily in his gut. The gleam in Jou’s eyes was brighter than before, his teeth bared in that strange, excited grin, and Yuugi couldn’t just stand back and watch this happen.

“I can’t let him fight alone,” Yuugi said. He withdrew his knife. “I have to help him before this gets out of hand.”

Before he could lose his nerve he threw himself forward, sword drawn. As a group of creatures surrounded Jou, a blue glow swelled around his body, exploding outwards in a wave of pure energy. It froze the last dozen creatures in place where they were. If Yuugi had stayed where he was, he would have avoided the blast of energy easily—instead, the ice slammed straight into his chest, throwing him backwards.

His entire body went cold, a kind of cold that made his skin feel like it was splitting and his bones feel like they were cracking. It settled inside his bones and fused his limbs in place, spreading inward towards his heart. Someone shouted Yuugi’s name, and he couldn’t answer them. The air whistled past his ears and for a moment he was suspended in it as the ice spread through his body.

A hazy memory resurfaced as he hovered there, of his body frozen and trapped as he struggled to call out for his friends. Terror gripped him as he thought about being dragged back there; he didn’t think he’d be able to endure that loneliness and cold and emptiness again. He wouldn’t survive it. His friends might not even come find him this time, and the thought of that was more frightening than anything else.

His back came into contact with something hard, and darkness swept over his vision.

* * *

“Yuugi? Hey, pal, say something.”

“His skin is freezing cold. Jou, what were you _thinking?_ ”

There was an arm around Yuugi’s shoulders, another hand pressed against his chest, another pair of fingers pressed against his palm. Yuugi’s eyes were heavy and his head was aching; he wiggled his toes and fingers experimentally, and winced at how stiff and achy they were, like he hadn’t moved them in days. He shivered as feeling began to return to his limbs. He was so cold. He’d never felt this cold.

“Yuugi?” Atem’s voice said. The arm around Yuugi’s shoulders tightened, squeezing gently. “Can you hear us?”

Yuugi groaned. He forced his eyes open, blinking around in confusion. His friends were crowded around him, leaning over him with expressions of worry. Yuugi frowned, blinked a few more times. “What happened?” he asked, voice gravelly.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Anzu gasped. She pressed her hands over her mouth; her eyes were red and wet, and she was shaking. “Yuugi, we were terrified. We thought—oh my _god,_ I’m so glad you’re okay—”

Yuugi sat up, and Atem helped him, his hand resting supportively at Yuugi’s back. Moving hurt, and Yuugi groaned under his breath as his muscles tried to fight back against him. His friends watched him nervously, like they were waiting for him to collapse or something. “How am I not frozen?” Yuugi said, rubbing at his forehead. “I felt my body freezing solid when that ice pendant hit me, and I—”

“I’m sorry, man,” Jou burst out, interrupting him. Yuugi looked over at him, and Jou winced as their gazes met, as though the eye contact physically hurt him. The unsettling gleam was gone from Jou’s eyes, and he seemed like himself again. It relaxed Yuugi to see. “I thought I’d—I seriously thought you were dead for a second.”

Yuugi held out his hands, waggling his fingers to demonstrate, and smiled wanly. “Well,” he said, “I’m not.” He frowned. “Um, actually, why am I not?”

“We’re not sure,” Atem said. “Perhaps just because you were at the periphery of the attack. Or the power from your flame sword might have counteracted the ice. Either way, by the time we reached you, the ice was already disappearing.”

“It was dumb luck, that’s what it was,” Honda said, glaring in Jou’s direction. “Yuugi could be dead because of you, man.”

“Whoa, Honda,” Yuugi said, reaching for Honda’s arm. “It’s all right.”

“No, it’s not,” Jou said, shaking his head. He seemed really upset. “Honda’s right, I let the power form the stone go to my head. I just wanted to do something to help, and I let it get totally out of hand. Yuugi, I—I’m so sorry, man.” He raked a hand through his hair, tugging. “I’m so, so sorry.”

 _It’s okay,_ Yuugi wanted to say, a knee-jerk reaction, especially when his friend looked so upset. But the hungry gleam in Jou’s gaze was still burned into the back of Yuugi’s head, and the unease in Yuugi’s gut lingered. He chewed on his lower lip, and didn’t answer.

Jou yanked the stone over his head, and held it out gingerly, like it was going to burn him. “I can’t use this thing anymore. I can’t handle it. Someone else take it.”

Yuugi exchanged glances with his friends. They all hesitated.

“Seriously,” Jou said. “Please. I shouldn’t have taken it in the first place. In fact…” He reached over, slipping the necklace over Honda’s head. “You were the one who was supposed to take it. Maybe you’ll be able to control it better than me.”

Honda smiled. “Hey, thanks man,” he said. He picked up the stone with his thumb and forefinger, tilting it from side to side to examine it. He grinned over at Atem. “Maybe now you won’t have to protect me next time, Phraraoh.”

Atem smiled weakly. His expression seemed tight, and his hand was pressed against his ribs. The memory of a stabbing pain in Yuugi’s chest swelled to the back of his mind, and he stared, frightened, at the place Atem was clearly trying to hide. Subconsciously, Yuugi reached for his own chest, pressing his palm to his ribs.

“What happened to the two of you, anyway?” Anzu asked, before Yuugi could say anything. She looked from Atem to Honda, and then back again. “How were you dragged all the way over here?”

“We evaded being captured,” Atem explained. His voice was strained, tight like his expression, and Yuugi’s worry swelled bigger. “I found Honda being attacked and tried to use my lightning stone to take down those creatures, but it didn’t seem to have much of an effect. It was more effective as a way to shield us from their attacks.”

“It was so cool,” Honda said. He looked down at the stone around his own neck. “I wonder if this thing can do something like that.”

“Let’s not try and find out right away,” Anzu said, eyeing the stone warily.

Atem glanced back at the cave. “It seemed as though the creatures were trying to keep us out of there,” he said. “Like they were guarding something. I have the feeling whatever we were brought here to find might be in there.”

“Right,” Jou said. “I’ll go look. I ought to do something right during this challenge.”

He ran off before anyone could protest. Once he was gone, Yuugi stretched out his arms and wiggled his fingers, curling and uncurling them until they didn’t feel so stiff. “Are you sure you’re all right, Yuugi?” Atem asked, watching him closely.

Yuugi turned towards him. “I should be asking you the same question,” he said, glancing meaningfully at Atem’s chest, where Atem still had a hand pressed against his ribs.

Atem followed his gaze and glanced down at himself. “Ah,” he said. “This is nothing. A scratch.”

Yuugi narrowed his eyes. “It didn’t feel like a scratch,” he said pointedly, and Atem grimaced.

“It’s fine, Yuugi,” Atem said. “I promise.”

“I think we’re all a little worse for wear,” Honda said. “This trial was rough, man. One of those things nailed me in the back. I thought it was going to claw me into ribbons for a second. What _were_ they, anyway?”

“Who knows?” Yuugi said, shaking his head. “They definitely weren’t human.”

“I think they were just here to keep us from our end goal,” Atem said. “Perhaps it doesn’t matter what they were, as long as they did their job.” He looked around briefly. “As long as there aren’t more of them hiding out somewhere.”

Jou reappeared a moment later, holding something in his hand. “This was the only thing in there,” he said. “It was in this big stone chest, so I’m assuming it’s supposed to be important.”

He held out his hand. Resting in his palm was a thin silver bracelet. Yuugi and his friends stared at it in silence.

“So,” Honda said, “what does it…do?”

“Well,” Anzu said. She reached for the braclet. “Only one way to find out, right?”

“Anzu, wait,” Yuugi said, reaching out to grab her hand. “Be careful. What if that thing is dangerous?”

“Yuugi, it’s okay,” Anzu said, smiling at him. She patted his hand. “It’ll be fine.” Before he could protest further, she slipped the bracelet onto her wrist. As soon as the clasp was closed, Anzu vanished, like she’d been blinked out of existence.

Yuugi yelped, and his friends gasped in surprise. “Anzu?” Yuugi said, looking around in alarm. “What happened? Where are you?”

“What are you talking about?” Anzu’s voice said, and Yugi jumped. Her voice was exactly where it had been before, but the air where she’d been was empty. “I’m right here. I haven’t moved.”

“Dude,” Jou said. “Anzu. You’re completely invisible. We thought you’d disappeared.”

“What?” Anzu said. “Really?”

She reappeared suddenly. The bracelet was unclasped. “Can you see me now?” she asked.

“Incredible,” Atem breathed, leaning forward to look at the bracelet. “There must be some reason we’re acquiring all these items—some bigger challenge waiting for us ahead. Why else would they be handing us this powerful magic?”

“Well, they aren’t exactly _handing_ them to us,” Honda said, twisting around to display the long scratches along his back. “We’re fighting pretty hard to get our hands on them.”

The five of them got, with some effort, to their feet. Looking around, Yuugi had to agree with Honda—this challenge seemed to have taken the biggest toll, physically, on them than any previous trial. Yuugi rubbed at his stinging wrists without realizing it, and winced at the tender skin.

The mouth of the cave was glowing, a swirling field of white and blue light. “Everyone ready?” Anzu said, pocketing her bracelet.

“Not really,” Jou said. His shoulders were hunched, and he seemed to still be on edge, but he smiled bracingly. “But we’re getting close, right? Only a few trials to go.”

The five of them stepped towards the mouth of the cave. Yuugi’s body swept out into nothingness, and he went lightheaded.

* * *

The howl of the wind was the first thing that registered.

Yuugi looked around. He was standing in what he thought, at first, was a small village, and expected to see other people around them. The more he looked, however, he realized that this village was crumbling at the seams and rusting away into nothing. Not only that, but it appeared to be completely empty.

This wasn’t a village, it was the tattered remains of a village, one that seemed to have been abandoned a long time ago. Houses held onto their foundations by their fingernails, roofs half caved-in and entire walls crumbled into dust. Rows of shops and storefronts were overgrown with vines and leaves, their doors boarded up. Old pathways made of stones were nearly worn away by the wind and rain. The sky rumbled overhead, and Yuugi blinked a few droplets of rain out of his eyes.

A moment later, a sharp, sudden pain pierced his side. At the exact same second, there was a nearby thud.

Yuugi turned toward the sound, startled, and his eyes went wide. Atem had dropped to his knees, his face screwed up in pain, his hand pressed against his ribs. “Pharaoh!” Yuugi gasped. He lurched forward, and his knees hit the ground hard as he reached for his friend’s shoulders. “Pharaoh, what’s wrong?”

“Is he hurt?” Anzu said, she and the others crowding around.

Atem winced and drew his hand away from his ribs briefly, and horror rose in Yuugi’s body. In the sudden daylight, Yuugi could see the way blood had soaked through Atem’s shirt, the way his skin had gone waxy and pale, the way he was holding himself, like every movement was causing him pain.

Atem slumped forward, his eyes sliding closed. Yuugi gasped, ducking forward to catch him, stopping him from hitting the ground. “ _No_ ,” Yuugi said, breathless. He shook Atem by the shoulders, panic seizing him like water was filling his lungs. “No, Pharaoh, don’t do this to me, you can’t!” He shook Atem again, more desperately. “ _Pharaoh!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank u as always for checking out my story! I'd love to hear from you, so if you get a chance pls comment with your thoughts <3 See ya next time!


	7. Trial Seven: Zahra's Amulet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Strap in folks, this is a long one.

Atem was deep underwater.

It pressed against all sides of his body, heavy and thick, trapping him and filling his nose and ears and mouth until the world was muffled and distant. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Atem wondered if this was how Yuugi felt when he’d been trapped in ice in the middle of that labyrinth.

When Atem heard Yuugi’s voice, for a moment he thought it was just in his head. There were more voices than just Yuugi’s voice, too. Atem wondered why his body was so heavy, why he couldn’t find his mouth to answer those voices. They sounded so upset, tight with worry and dull with helplessness. Atem could hardly remember what was happening. Everything was so fuzzy.

“His breathing isn’t good,” Yuugi was saying. His voice was thin and unsteady. “He must be in so much pain.”

“We don’t know that, Yuugi,” another voice said. A warm female voice—Anzu.

Yuugi took a shaky breath. “I just,” he whispered, “I wish there was more we could do. I hate just sitting here, when—when he’s—” His voice petered out.

“I know,” Anzu said. “Maybe Jou and Honda have found something that will help. I think they’re upstairs.”

“You go find them,” Yuugi said. “I’m staying here.”

The floor creaked as footsteps disappeared. The pain had been sitting in the back of Atem’s awareness, but at Yuugi’s words it sharpened, expanded, until it wouldn’t be ignored anymore. The pain ached at the edge of Atem’s chest, like a hot metal rod in between his ribs, burning him, tearing at him. At the same time, it was so cold, a spot of numbness spreading outward from that same point. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

As Atem woke, the pain only grew worse, and memory came back to him. The forest, the monster’s shriek as it had flung itself towards him, the feeling of a spear entering his body, the agonizing pain as he’d fought to stay conscious. The exhaustion that had overtaken his body, his knees hitting the ground, Yuugi’s frightened voice and his hands gripping Atem’s shoulders.

Atem tried to draw in a deep breath and his lungs ached with the effort. A hand slipped into his and gripped, squeezing. “Pharaoh?” Yuugi whispered, his voice hopeful. “Pharaoh, can you hear me?”

Atem cracked his eyes open, fighting against his heavy eyelids. His vision swam and for a moment he couldn’t focus on anything. He was lying on something firm, but there was a pillow underneath his head and blankets draped across his lower body. The walls were lit by soft firelight, and there was a figure beside him, a familiar figure.

Atem turned his head with difficulty and blinked a couple times, and Yuugi’s face came into focus above him. His expression was unbearable, sharp with worry and anxiety, shadows under his eyes like he hadn’t slept in weeks and redness rimming his eyelids like he’d been crying. He tightened his grip on Atem’s hand, and leaned a little closer, a frown deepening on his forehead.

Atem managed a small smile. He squeezed Yuugi’s hand and Yuugi huffed out a sharp breath, as though in relief.

“I thought you’d never wake up,” Yuugi said. His voice wavered, and his eyes filled. “I’m so sorry, Pharaoh. If I’d realized sooner—I shouldn’t have let this happen—”

“Yuugi, slow down.” Even talking hurt. Atem swallowed and tried again, “Where are we?”

“I’m not really sure.” Yuugi rubbed at his eyes with the heel of his hand and sniffed. “We were dropped into this abandoned village—it’s like a ghost town here. We headed into one of these empty houses. We’ve been here for almost a day now.” The look of worry in Yuugi’s gaze sharpened again. “You’re so badly injured, Pharaoh, and you didn’t say anything. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I forgot to mention it, I suppose,” Atem said. It was a weak excuse, but it wasn’t necessarily a lie. When Yuugi had gotten hit with that ice magic, Atem’s focus had been temporarily diverted.

“Anzu thinks that whatever injured you was poisoned,” Yuugi said. His voice had gone tight and choked again, and Atem felt a pang at the center of his chest. “It’s like your body is shutting down. I don’t know how to stop it.”

It made sense, then, the coldness and the numbness and the feeling of heaviness that was pressing in on every part of Atem’s body. “Ah,” he murmured. “I see.”

Yuugi rubbed at his eyes again. He let go of Atem’s hand, and Atem missed the gentle pressure. Yuugi took a deep breath, and when he spoke again he sounded calmer. “I’m going to fix this,” he said. “I’m going to figure something out. I won’t let this happen to you.”

“Yuugi…” Atem reached out, resting his hand against Yuugi’s knee. “It’s all right.”

“It’s _not_ all right.” Yuugi glared at him. “You didn’t give up on me when I was taken by the Orichalcos, or when Marik tried to destroy me in that shadow game, or when my grandfather was kidnapped. And I’m not giving up on you now. I’m not going to sit back and watch you deteriorate like this just because of these stupid trials.”

Atem smiled at him. “I’m very lucky to have a friend like you, Yuugi,” he said. He tried to say something else but a sharp stab of pain shot through his body and instead he grimaced, clenching his teeth together against it. Yuugi gasped and his hands fluttered helplessly over Atem’s body, like he wanted to help and wasn’t sure how.

“We didn’t find any pain meds, but we did find some bandages,” Honda’s voice said from the other side of the room, as the pain in Atem’s chest was fading back to a dull ache. “And something that looks like iodine, but I’m kind of scared to use it for anything. Maybe if the kitchen works we can boil these bandages to sterilize them or something.”

Anzu gasped, then. “Pharaoh!” she said. “You’re awake!”

“He’s _awake?”_ Suddenly there were three more figures leaning over Atem with relieved smiles on their faces, asking him how he was feeling and what he needed and how long he’d been awake. Atem just smiled back at them and didn’t try and break in with any answers, happy just to see so many familiar faces.

Finally Yuugi waved them all way impatiently. “Guys, guys!” he said. “Give him space. He’s only been awake for like five minutes.”

“Sorry,” Anzu squeaked, hands flying up to her mouth. “It’s just—we thought—”

“We weren’t sure we’d ever see you awake again, pal,” Jou said. “It was pretty rough going there for a bit.” He patted Anzu on the shoulder. “Anzu did a pretty good job patching you up, but none of us really knew what we were doing.” He smiled hopefully. “So, are you feeling any better?”

Atem hesitated. He didn’t want to lie, and he knew Yuugi would immediately catch any lie he made. At the same time, Atem didn’t want to frighten any of them more than he already had. “I’ve been better,” he said finally. “But I might be dead already if it wasn’t for the four of you. So, thank you for all your help.”

Yuugi’s jaw tightened, and his friends didn’t seem to receive Atem’s words much better. They exchanged worried glances with one another.

“Pharaoh, do you remember what happened when you were injured?” Anzu asked. “Was it one of those monsters who attacked you?”

Atem nodded, and then winced. “It was a spear, if I remember right,” he said. He smiled wanly at the looks on his friends’ faces. “It’s all right. I can tell how bad it is—you don’t have to pretend for my sake.”

Anzu’s eyes filled with tears, and Honda turned his chin away. It was like they were already grieving him.

“You’re not going to die, Pharaoh,” Jou said.

Atem sighed. “Thank you,” he said, “but I don’t think I have a choice in the matter. There isn’t much the four of you can do for me here.”

“I don’t care that we’re stuck in the middle of an abandoned city,” Jou said, setting his jaw. “I’m not giving up. Not after everything we’ve been through together.” He stood suddenly, squaring his shoulders. “There’s got to be something else out there, someone that can help us, or supplies, or _something_. And I’m going to find it.”

There was a beat of silence. Jou looked around at his friends, as though daring them to try and stop him. Instead, Yuugi rose to his feet, and nodded briskly. “I’m coming too,” he said.

“What?” Anzu yelped. “Yuugi—”

“Jou is right,” Yuugi said. “I’m not giving up on my friend. I won’t just sit here and worry when we could be trying to do something.”

“We don’t even know what’s out there,” Honda said. “This place is another trial, guys. There could be hundreds of dangers out there.”

Jou and Yuugi looked at each other. “We’ll protect each other,” Yuugi said. “You two need to stay here and keep an eye on the Pharaoh. We’ll be fine.”

“Yuugi…” Atem tried to push himself up into sitting position, but the pain was too great, and he had to give up. His voice was strained when he spoke again. “Please. Don’t put yourself in danger for my sake.”

“You’ve put yourself in danger for mine plenty of times,” Yuugi said. He raised his eyebrows. “Besides, are you going to try and stop me?”

He had a point. Atem couldn’t even sit up, much less try and keep Yuugi from doing something reckless. He closed his eyes briefly, squeezing down the instinctive urge to protect Yuugi from harm. He didn’t have a choice now, and Yuugi wouldn’t be deterred when he was this determined. “Be careful,” Atem said, fixing his gaze on Yuugi’s. “Promise me.”

Yuugi nodded. “I promise,” he said.

“Wait,” Anzu said. She unclipped her bracelet from around her wrist and held it out towards Yuugi. “Take this with you. If I can’t come with, I at least want to know you’re as well-protected as possible.”

“Thanks, Anzu,” Yuugi said, taking the bracelet and slipping it into his pocket. He looked over at Jou. “Okay. Let’s go.”

* * *

The abandoned village was even bigger than Yuugi expected.

Off in the distance were a line of mountains hugging a narrow pass. Yuugi and Jou headed in that direction, but on the way they looked through the crumbling houses and stores, searching for anything helpful, first aid supplies or food or weapons. They had no idea what they’d be facing during this trial.

“Maybe this actually _is_ the trial,” Jou speculated. He and Yuugi had reached the edge of the village and were heading towards the mountains now. It was raining steadily, soaking Yuugi’s hair and clothes. “I mean, maybe saving the Pharaoh is the whole point.”

“Maybe,” Yuugi agreed. “Honestly, I’m not sure I care. The trial can wait.”

He winced and pressed a hand briefly against his chest. The worst part about all of this was that he could _feel_ it as Atem’s body shut down. It was distant, growing weaker the further away Yuugi walked, but it was always there. Yuugi felt it as the poison ate away at Atem’s body, sapping his strength and his breath and spreading tendrils of pain towards his limbs.

Every passing second, it grew worse. Yuugi knew they didn’t have much time to find a way to save him.

“Yuug?” Jou said, turning back and frowning in concern. “You okay, man?”

Yuugi took a slow breath. He wasn’t okay, not even a little bit, but he managed a feeble smile. Whatever he was feeling, Atem had it a hundred times worse. “I’m fine,” he said. “Don’t worry about me.”

Jou’s frown deepened. “You can feel it, can’t you?” he said. “Whatever the Pharaoh is feeling, I mean.”

Yuugi sighed. “Sort of,” he admitted. “I can’t feel _everything_. But I can feel enough.” He gulped. “I’m not sure how much time we have. We’ll have to hurry.”

They headed for the mountains, hoping on the other side was another village, one with people in it. Fortunately, they didn’t even have to wait that long—on the way through the pass, they ran into a middle-aged man in a horse-drawn cart.

“Hey there, lads!” the man called. “Storm is coming in fast, you’d best seek shelter. Where are you headed?”

Jou and Yuugi raced forward to meet him. Yuugi’s heart was pounding in relief. “We’re looking for some help,” Yuugi said, evading the question slightly. “Our friend is very sick. Is there a doctor somewhere near here, maybe? Or somewhere we can get medicine?”

“You can try Hollandale, the village I just came from,” the man said. “They’re one of the only towns around here that wasn’t destroyed during the Scourge. You’d best hurry there—when night falls, the beasts return and wreak havoc. You don’t want to be outdoors during something like that.”

Jou and Yuugi exchanged looks of alarm. “How far away is Hollandale?” Yuugi asked.

“About an hour walk from here,” the man said. “Just stay on the path and head west, and it’ll take you straight there.” He smacked the reins, and his horse lurched forward. “Good luck, lads!” he called over his shoulder.

“What do you think the _Scourge_ was?” Jou said as he and Yuugi headed in the direction they’d been pointed.

“I don’t know, but it probably wasn’t good.” Yuugi shivered and curled his arms around his body—it was freezing cold now that it was growing dark, and the rain wasn’t letting up. He winced as thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance, and picked up the pace a little, struggling to keep up with Jou’s long strides. “Maybe it was a disaster of some kind. I bet we can find out more when we reach Hollandale.”

It was a long walk. By the time the city appeared down at the base of the hill, Yuugi’s feet were aching and he was shaking uncontrollably. The lights of the village were a relief, and it was an even bigger relief to see that this town was functioning and populated, unlike the one they’d just left. It was clearly struggling—the houses were falling apart or hanging sideways, the roads were dirt-paved, and lines of laundry were hung up to air-dry. But the windows glowed with firelight, and Yuugi and Jou were welcomed into a warm, dry Inn to stay the night.

“Thank you,” Yuugi said to the innkeeper, a short, round woman with her hair up in braids. “But my friend and I need help with something. It’s urgent.”

The inkeeper’s forehead creased with concern as Yuugi and Jou explained the situation. Her face fell as they finished, and she sighed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I wish I could help you. We have no medicine here, and certainly not for something like that.” She wrung her hands, chewing on her lower lip. “We’ve been plagued with sickness in our little village recently. Our healer’s house is filled to the brim with sick and injured. If we could take your friend in, we would.”

Yuugi’s heart sank like a rock. “So, you can’t do anything to help?” he said. His throat was tight, his eyes burning fiercely. This couldn’t be the end of it. They had clearly been led here, so there had to be _something_ here that would help. There _had_ to be.

The woman shook her head. “Our goddess of healing, Zahra, seems to have abandoned us. No one can access her temple with the monsters congregating around it.”

Yuugi’s heart leapt back into motion. “Healing goddess?” he pressed.

The woman nodded. “We have been praying to her for months, hoping she would come to help us. Perhaps if she does come to help, she will heal your friend too.” She smiled briefly. “I have a shrine to honor her. Would you like to see?”

They followed the innkeeper into a back room, tucked away past the kitchens and through a pair of sliding doors. At the far side of the room was a small statue of a woman in a floor-length dress, her hair long and flowing, her expression peaceful, her hands outstretched in front of her. Cupped in her hands was a small stone.

Yuugi came closer. The room was dim, lit only by rows of candles on either side of the goddess’s statue. At her feet were small offerings, flowers and bread and pieces of fruit. At the base of the statue were several lines of hieroglyphics, carved into the stone. “This is Zahra?” Yuugi said. “What’s it say at the base of the statue?”

“ _Enter with peace, and leave with love,_ ” the innkeeper said. “No one is sure what it means, but the same words are written at the entrance of her temple.”

“What is she holding in her hands?” Yuugi asked.

“That is her amulet of healing,” the innkeeper explained. “Nobody knows if it’s real. Legend says that Zahra kept the amulet in her temple, but of course nobody can access the temple anymore.”

“Because it’s…guarded by monsters,” Jou said. “Right?”

The innkeeper nodded. “Hundreds of them,” she said, her face going pale. “Horrible creatures. Skeletal phantoms and ghastly, inhuman things. The monsters that attacked us during the Scourge and killed so many of our people. They only ever bother our village at night, but they’re always out there, waiting for someone to wander into their flock.”

“How far away is the temple?” Yuugi asked. “Can you point us in that direction?”

The innkeeper’s eyes went wide. “You can’t possibly be planning on going there!” she said. “You’ll be killed!”

“My friend is going to die if we don’t try something,” Yuugi said. “I’m going whether or not you tell me how.” He smiled. “I promise, I know what I’m doing. We’ll be fine.”

“We’ve faced plenty of monsters before,” Jou said airily. “These things won’t even know what hit em.”

The innkeeper looked nervously from Jou to Yuugi and then back again. “I can tell you where the temple is,” she said. “But you mustn’t go there at night, or you’ll be putting yourselves in even more danger.” She wrung her hands a few times, and then sighed and headed for the sliding doors. “Wait here a moment. I have a map stashed somewhere.”

* * *

Atem was very cold. He was standing in the middle of the rain.

The water washed over his face, soaking him, turning his clothes heavy. They weighed him down like they were made of metal. All around him, creatures with hungry red eyes gazed at him, waiting, ready to attack him.

Atem wasn’t alone, either. Yuugi was standing in front of him, his frame shaking, his flame sword gripped in one hand. Atem tried to call out to him, but his mouth had gone numb and he couldn’t get the words out properly. Giving up on speech, he tried to move towards Yuugi to protect him, and his clothes weighed him down. He was too slow, his body uncooperative. He was moving through heavy water and Yuugi was standing all alone, facing an onslaught of hungry monsters.

Atem tried again to call his name. Yuugi turned to look, finally, and at that same moment a creature lunged out of the darkness towards him, its teeth bared.

Atem’s eyes flew open. The air was too thick and for a moment he forgot how to breathe, staring up at the ceiling in confusion as his gaze swam. There was an intake of breath beside him, and the floor creaked. “Pharaoh?” a soft voice said.

Atem turned his head. Anzu was leaning over him, her eyebrows drawn together with concern. Atem tried again to breathe and winced as it ached fiercely inside him. Every movement seemed to cause him pain now. He wondered how long he’d been asleep and then, more frighteningly, how much time he had left.

Atem glanced around. Anzu seemed to be the only one in the room with him, save for Honda, who was sprawled out across the couch, snoring loudly. “How long was I asleep?” Atem asked, and even that hurt, scratching at his throat. His voice was hoarse and barely-audible.

“Not very long,” Anzu said. Her legs were curled underneath her and she wore an expression similar to what Yuugi’s had been earlier, helpless and pained and heavy with grief. “How are you feeling?”

“Hm,” Atem sighed, considering. “About the same.”

That was mostly true. He didn’t feel significantly worse than before. It was a steady ache, now, unending and brutal but at least steady.

“Yuugi and Jou have been gone most of the night,” Anzu said. “I hope they’re okay.”

Atem wondered if he’d feel it, if something happened to Yuugi. He wasn’t sure whether distance was any kind of a factor in whatever bond was between their souls. Somehow, it frightened him more, the idea that he _wouldn’t_ be able to feel it. If Yuugi was hurt, and he didn’t find out until it was too late to help him…

He shook off those thoughts. Even if Yuugi was injured somehow, there wasn’t anything Atem would be able to do, lying here, dying. A sharp, helpless feeling of guilt took him by surprise. He wasn’t used to being so powerless like this.

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Atem said. “I believe in Yuugi. He can handle himself.”

Anzu smiled. Her eyes were watery, but she nodded, like she was determined to convince herself. “Yeah,” she agreed. “He’s really strong. But so are you.” She paused, swallowed. “I’m sure you can make it through this.”

Atem doubted any amount of willpower would get survive something like this, but he smiled back. “I hope so,” he said.

* * *

“I still think we should have waited until morning.”

Yuugi ignored Jou for a moment. He pressed a hand against his chest, shuddering at the echo of pain inside him. It had worsened over the past hour, leaving his body feeling heavy and exhausted. The feeling was a brutal, unending reminder that they only had a certain amount of time to complete this trial. “We can’t wait until morning,” Yuugi said. He trudged forward through the forest with Jou at his side, his footsteps crunching in the leaves. “We don’t have time.”

“Yeah, but you heard what that innkeeper lady said. We won’t be any help to the Pharaoh if we get eaten by monsters out here.”

“Jou, you can’t feel his body deteriorating,” Yuugi said, his voice shaking a little. “I _can_. We’re already running out of time. It’ll be too late by morning.”

Jou blinked at him. “Oh,” he said hoarsely. He nodded briskly. “Okay. Let’s hurry, then. According to the map…” They’d been given flashlights, and Jou held his up to the map, twisting the paper around and around in confusion until he had it the right way. “We’re half a mile out. We should keep an eye out for monsters.”

Yuugi nodded. He trained his flashlight up ahead, scanning the line of trees for monsters. Truthfully, he had no idea how they were going to get past all these monsters. They only had one offensive weapon between the two of them, and Yuugi still wasn’t very good at using it. “Jou, why did you want to come with me on this so badly?” Yuugi asked, looking over curiously. “You were so ready to throw yourself into danger again.”

Jou shrugged. “I just naturally have a love for danger, I guess,” he said. When Yuugi cast him a dry look, Jou sighed and rubbed his neck uncomfortably. “I…I still feel bad about what happened during the last trial, I guess.”

“Oh,” Yuugi said. He hesitated, the silence stretching tight between them. “Jou…you don’t have to feel bad about that. I mean, I’m fine.”

“Yeah, but you almost weren’t,” Jou said. His jaw had gone tight. “I let the power get to my head, Yuugi, and I—I never want to feel like that again. It was terrifying.”

Yuugi nodded. He recognized the look on Jou’s face now. It was the look on Atem’s face as he’d, reluctantly, taken the lightning stone. “Maybe it was the stone,” Yuugi suggested. “Maybe it kind of warps you like that.”

Jou shook his head. “I don’t want to blame anyone—or any _thing_ —but myself. I need to own up to what I did.” He squared his shoulders. “So I’m going to make it up to you. Not just during this trial, either. I want to prove it’s not going to happen again.”

Yuugi smiled. “That means a lot, Jou,” he said. “You’re a good friend. You know that, right?”

“Thanks, Yuug.” Jou tensed, then, and held out a hand. “Hold on. Did you see that?”

Yuugi shined his flashlight up ahead, searching. His heart flew into his mouth—up ahead were a line of skeletal creatures, their bones glowing white as they caught the light, their eyes empty and their fingers curled into claws.

Jou flicked off his flashlight, and then yanked Yuugi behind a bunch of bushes. Yuugi turned his flashlight off as well and they stayed crouched there for a few moments, barely daring to breathe. When they were sure they hadn’t been noticed, Jou exhaled in relief and retrieved his flashlight. “Okay,” he said. “What’s the plan here, Yuug?”

Yuugi had sort of been hoping that a plan would just come to him when they arrived here, but his mind had gone blank with terror. He met Jou’s eyes and cast him a helpless look, and Jou frowned.

“All right,” Jou said bracingly. “I have the golden armor, so I could try and clear a path through the monsters for you. Did you see how many there were?”

“Hundreds of them,” Yuugi whispered. “I could see the temple, but it’s still so far away. There’s no way we’ll make it all the way there without getting killed.”

“Yeah, but with your flame sword—”

“Wait.” Yuugi held up one hand. His eyes went wide. “Do you remember what those hieroglyphics said? They were the same words written on the temple: _Enter with peace, leave with love._ ”

“So, what’s your point?”

“I don’t think we’re supposed to fight our way in. Those hieroglyphics were a clue, they were supposed to guide us.” Yuugi chewed on his lower lip. “I think we’re supposed to make our way in peacefully.”

“Uh, okay, but _how?_ Are you just going to ask the monsters politely not to attack you? I doubt that’ll go over well.”

Yuugi smiled and removed Anzu’s invisibility bracelet from his jacket pocket. “No,” he said, “I’m going to sneak my way in.”

* * *

It was an odd feeling, being invisible.

Yuugi could still see his body as he crept across the ground, but he felt lighter, almost insubstantial. He was painfully aware of every tiny noise his body made, every rustle of leaves or snap of a twig. He held his breath for nearly the entire time he was moving, terrified even a breath would give him away.

The monsters were everywhere. There were so many that Yuugi couldn’t have counted them. Some of them congregated in groups but most of them stood alone, watching the trees hungrily like they were waiting for their dinner to leap into their arms. Yuugi tried to give them as much of a berth as possible, but there were so many of them that it wasn’t possible to avoid them completely. Every time he had to walk within a few inches of one of the monsters his heart pounded painfully, and he was convinced they’d be able to hear it.

Gradually, he grew closer to the temple. It was bigger than he expected, a towering expanse of white stone at the edge of a small pond, the water spilling out into the grass due to all the rain. Flowers flourished at the base of the stone and creatures frolicked among them, butterflies and frogs, like the monsters didn’t bother them.

Yuugi paused to catch his breath. There were even more monsters close to the temple, and he took a moment to brace himself. Jou was waiting somewhere nearby, prepared to cause a distraction if Yuugi got into trouble, but Yuugi worried that even something like that could lose them the amulet and, by extension, the trial. He gritted his teeth and walked forward, and then froze, horrified, when a twig snapped underneath his shoe.

A half a dozen skeletal creatures spun to look towards the noise. They couldn’t see him, of course, but their empty eyes searched the darkness and their lopsided, grinning faces looked eager for something to kill. Yuugi stayed perfectly still, heart thundering against his ribs, holding his breath. He was so close, just a few feet from the temple.

The creatures shifted. They turned away, and Yuugi began to breathe again.

He had to slip carefully in between a couple of them, holding his breath again and pressing his lips together hard, but he finally made it to the edge of the temple. He hesitated before stepping inside. This place felt like sacred ground, something he shouldn’t take lightly. He sighed, and gathered whatever was left of his courage. Pain echoed through his chest. He had to do this for Atem.

He stepped into the temple. Warmth greeted him the moment he was inside, like the room was heated. At the far side of the temple was an enormous version of the statue back at the Inn, a woman with long flowing hair, her hands outstretched. At her feet was a stone pedestal, and on top of the pedestal was an indigo-colored amulet.

Yuugi exhaled in relief. He raced forward and reached for the amulet, hesitating only briefly before he picked it up. It was unassuming, just as unassuming as the other magical stones they’d picked up in past trials, but Yuugi had a feeling its power was hidden inside it. He smiled up at the statue in abject relief. “Thank you,” he whispered, and he could have sworn he felt warmth pass by him in response.

Yuugi turned away, racing towards the entrance of the temple.

* * *

“You were _awesome_ , Yuugi.”

Yuugi and Jou were heading back to the village to find their friends, their prize in hand, relief swelling between them. They were practically running, eager to get back as fast as possible and heal Atem’s injuries. Yuugi smiled over in Jou’s direction in thanks.

“I didn’t really do that much,” he said.

“Hey, I was ready to go in guns blazing,” Jou said. “But you were smarter than that.” His mouth tightened just a little. “Let’s just hope that this amulet thing actually works.”

Yuugi nodded. He ran his thumb over the surface of the stone, marveling at how smooth and warm it felt. The energy inside it felt different to the energy from the other stones, though Yuugi couldn’t quite explain why. Maybe healing magic was just different from elemental magic.

He glanced up at the sky nervously. They were just passing through the mountains, now, and the sun was beginning to come up, but the clouds overhead were keeping everything in darkness. Yuugi had just now begun to dry off, and he really didn’t want to get rained on. His worry swelled when lightning flickered in the distance.

Thunder crashed above them. At the exact same moment, Yuugi’s body gave out on him, and he collapsed.

* * *

The deep water around Atem’s body had turned to fire.

He couldn’t move anymore. He wasn’t sure whether he was breathing. Every breath felt like agony, like it was taking every inch of his willpower and his strength. He didn’t want to fight this anymore. He just wanted to give in and sink deeper, until he floated away from the pain and the heaviness and everything disappeared.

He tried to open his eyes, but they fought against him. He wondered what would happen, when he died. He wondered if they would fail the trials, or whether his friends would be forced to continue on without him. It hurt him, to think that he was leaving them to fight the rest of these trials without him. He was abandoning them, and he couldn’t fight anymore. He was weak, and he was losing this battle.

He wished he could say goodbye to them. He wished he could hear Yuugi’s voice one last time before he went.

He drifted, the fire enclosing around him.

* * *

“Yuugi! _Yuugi!_ ”

Jou’s hands were at Yuugi’s shoulder’s, gripping tightly. His voice was sharp with panic, and for a moment Yuugi couldn’t find his mouth to answer. His body was so heavy. Everything felt so heavy, and he _ached_ —

“Yuugi, man, come on. Talk to me, dude. Say something.”

Yuugi blinked up at his friend. He was on his back on the damp ground and rain was pattering lightly against his face. He shivered as sensation raced back through his limbs. He was cold and wet, and he was so tired. “Jou,” he croaked.

“Yuugi, what happened?” Jou said. “What’s wrong?”

Yuugi’s throat tightened in terror, nearly choking him, and he struggled to speak through it. “The Pharaoh,” he whispered, and broke off again, his breath hitching. “Jou, the Pharaoh—”

Jou’s eyes went wide with horror. “No,” he said. “Are we—we can’t be too late, can we?”

Yuugi paused for a moment, concentrating. His body was weak and heavy, but he could still feel the tug of Atem’s soul alongside his own. He could still feel life, thin and unsteady like a trickle of air passing through his lungs. “We’re not too late,” he said, wincing as he pushed himself up. “But we need to hurry, we—” He went dizzy as he sat upright, and pitched forward, nearly hitting the ground again. Jou caught him, his hands at Yuugi’s shoulders.

“Yuugi, man, you’re in bad shape,” Jou said.

“I’m fine,” Yuugi said. “I can’t…just sit here…” It was even a struggle to breathe now. Yuugi wanted to cry in frustration at how useless he was. His best friend was dying, and he couldn’t even stand up.

“I’ve got it, Yuug.” Jou shifted, and then Yuugi had the sudden, startling sensation of being lifted. Jou draped Yuugi’s lifeless body across his back, and started forward again, and Yuugi didn’t even have the strength to argue.

He drifted in and out of awareness as they walked. The closer they got, the stronger Yuugi could feel the heaviness and the pain and everything else Atem was feeling. He felt every breath grow weaker and he felt Atem’s body shutting down like his own was doing the same. For a brief, terrified moment, Yuugi wondered what would happen to him if Atem died. Would Yuugi die, too, because of their soul bond? Was that kind of thing even possible?

Was Atem really _alive_ here, even though his spirit was thousands of years old?

Yuugi jolted back into awareness at the sound of a door slamming open. “Oh my god!” Anzu’s voice cried. “Yuugi? Jou, what happened to him?”

“He collapsed on the way here,” Jou said, his voice strained with the effort of carrying Yuugi all the way here. He and Honda together helped Yuugi to the ground, and Yuugi’s legs shook as they struggled to hold him up. He looked past both of them, searching for Atem.

Atem was right where they’d left him, half-covered in blankets, his face ashen and forehead drawn with pain. He wasn’t moving. “He’s worse,” Anzu whispered, following Yuugi’s gaze. “Much worse. I—I’m not even sure he’s breathing anymore. Yuugi…I think…” Her voice broke, and she barely managed to finish her sentence. “We might be…too late.”

Yuugi would have thought the same thing, except he could still _feel_ Atem breathing, just barely, clinging to life. He shook his head, and pushed his friends’ hands away weakly. “He’s still alive,” he said. He looked over at Jou. “Do you have the amulet?”

Jou nodded. He plucked it out of his jacket, and held it out. “Yuugi, you’re barely able to stand,” he said. “Maybe one of us should do it.”

“No,” Yuugi said, taking the amulet. “I have to do it.”

His friends watched, rapt, as Yuugi knelt at Atem’s side, but they kept their distance, giving him space. Yuugi took a couple of slow breaths and cradled the amulet in the palm of his hand, bringing it to Atem’s side, holding it at the place where he could feel the pain radiating outward.

He closed his eyes. He pictured the warm feeling he’d felt in Zahra’s temple, and focused on that sensation, blocking out everything else, the pain and the cold and the water dripping down his neck. He pictured the warm, peaceful expression on her statue’s face, and the way life had flourished in front of her temple. He tried to visualize the bond between him and Atem, like light, like comfort and familiarity and strength.

Warmth burst to life in the palm of his hand. It flowed outward, through Yuugi’s whole body and into Atem’s, and Yuugi gave a ragged gasp as it expanded, filling him. He felt it as the pain dissipated, felt every inch of skin as it repaired itself. The ache in his lungs and the heaviness inside his body lifted. The warmth heightened, and for a brief, incredible moment, Yuugi had never felt stronger. It felt like he and Atem were breathing in unison, their hearts beating in tandem as Atem’s body healed.

Yuugi’s strength. Atem’s strength. For a moment it was one and the same.

Then the warmth disappeared, and Yuugi jerked his hands back, panting, blinking rapidly in the sudden loss. He fixed his gaze on Atem’s face, and his friends leaned in hopefully, and for a moment Yuugi was frightened it hadn’t worked.

Atem’s eyes flickered open. He sat up abruptly, expression bewildered, and his hand went to his ribs. He pawed at the place where his injury had been, and his eyes went wide. He looked over in Yuugi’s direction, staring, his gaze bright and alert like hadn’t been dying five minutes ago, like he’d never been injured at all.

“Yuugi?” Atem said. “What—I—what happened?”

Yuugi couldn’t answer. Relief swelled, choking him, and he threw himself at Atem, wrapping his arms around Atem’s neck as he stifled a sob. Jou and Anzu and Honda broke into a collective explosion of relief, laughing and crying and crowding around to pat Atem on the back. Atem relaxed, and he held Yuugi steady. His heart thudded reassuringly under Yuugi’s grip.

* * *

The storm had left the village looking like a swamp. Atem stood outside to take all of it in, gazing at the way the puddles on the ground reflected the sunlight. He felt like examining all of these tiny details now, details he hadn’t paid much attention to before.

He reached down, instinctive, and pressed a hand against his waist. He half-expected the injury to make a reappearance, but it appeared to have been completely healed. More than healed, in fact—it was like it had never been there. Atem had never felt quite so healthy, like the healing amulet had filled him with new strength. It was quite incredible, really.

There was a creaking sound. Yuugi appeared in the doorway, smiling tentatively. “Pharaoh?” he said. “Are you okay?”

Atem smiled back. “Yes,” he said. “Thank you.” He tilted his head. “You’re not going to try and get some sleep?”

The others had passed out a little while ago, exhausted by the events of the day and reeling with relief. Atem felt guilty that he’d caused all of them so much worry and pain, but he was glad they were able to rest now.

Yuugi shook his head, closing the door behind himself. “Whatever that amulet did to you, it’s like it did the same thing to me,” Yuugi said. “I feel like I slept for a year. I could fight a lion right now without breaking a sweat.”

Atem chuckled. He leaned back against the banister of the porch, and folded his arms. “I’m sorry for causing you so much worry,” he said. “What you did was very brave, Yuugi.” He smiled. “And you saved my life. Thank you.”

Yuugi just shrugged. “You would have done the same thing for me,” he said.

“Yes,” Atem said, nodding. “I would.”

Yuugi stepped over, leaning against the banister at Atem’s side. They were quiet for a moment, a comfortable silence. “I wonder how we’re supposed to finish this trial,” Yuugi said, picking idly at a loose piece of wood in the banister.

“Yes, I’m wondering that too,” Atem said. “I imagine we would have been urged toward the next trial if we’d truly finished this one.”

Yuugi looked over at him sharply, startled. “How did you do that?” he demanded.

Atem frowned at him, confused. “Do what?”

“You heard my thoughts. I thought you couldn’t hear my thoughts anymore.”

Atem stared, bewildered. He blinked a few times. “You mean, you didn’t say that out loud?” he said.

“The thing about how we’re supposed to finish the trial? No. I was only thinking it.” Yuugi smiled, his eyes brightening. “I thought we couldn’t hear each other anymore, but—maybe something changed when I used the amulet.”

Atem smiled back. “You seem relieved.”

“I just…” Yuugi turned his face away, as though trying to hide his expression. When he looked back over, Atem was surprised to see his eyes were swimming. “I really thought you were going to die, Pharaoh,” Yuugi said, and his voice was hoarse and tight.

“Yuugi…” Atem stepped closer, reaching out, but Yuugi beat him to it. His arms came up around Atem’s back and Atem sighed at the contact, holding Yuugi there, closing his eyes. Yuugi’s clothing was still a little damp from the rain.

When he concentrated, Atem could catch most of Yuugi’s thoughts, but they were too jumbled to make much sense of. Actually, it was more a jumble of emotions: relief, mostly, tinged with leftover fear. Atem tightened his grip, squeezing Yuugi’s shoulders, and Yuugi relaxed a little underneath his grip.

“Sorry,” Yuugi muttered, pulling back. He laughed unsteadily. “I can’t get used to it. You having an actual physical body.”

Atem laughed lightly. “It is a little strange,” he agreed. He tilted his head, trying to catch Yuugi’s gaze. “Yuugi, are you all right?”

“Not really,” Yuugi said with a wry smile. “It’s like…I knew we were in danger through all of these trials, but it didn’t feel _real_ until now. Watching you just…just fade away like that…”

His voice petered out. Atem nodded. “I never meant to put you in a situation like that, Yuugi,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t. I’m just glad you’re okay.” Yuugi took a deep, steadying breath, and seemed calmer afterwards. “I want all of this to be over. That’s all.”

“I know.” Atem wished he had something to say that would be supportive, something that would make all of this okay and repair all of the fear and hurt these past few hours had caused. He raised his eyebrows, then, as something occurred to him. “You must have been able to feel it, while the poison was spreading through my body.”

“Kind of,” Yuugi said. “Distantly. It depended on how close I was to you.”

Atem sighed, thinking of the heaviness and the pain and the way he’d felt his body shutting down. Yuugi was probably downplaying how it had felt for him. “We’re nearly through this,” Atem said—it was the most reassuring thing he could come up with. “If we’ve gotten this far, we can get through the rest.”

Yuugi tilted his chin up, his expression one of forced determination. He nodded.

The others slept for a few hours, and then the five of them gathered back together. “I feel like we’re supposed to be doing something else with this,” Yuugi said, holding up the amulet. “There must be something we’re missing, or the next trial would have opened by now.”

“I have an idea about that, actually,” Jou said. “But we’re going to have to head back to Hollandale.”

When the five of them arrived back in Hollandale, Jou asked around until they found the hospital, where dozens of sick and injured were being housed. There, he handed over the amulet to one of the healers, and explained what it was. They didn’t believe him at first, but they showed the healers the way the amulet glowed and immediately their tones changed.

“I sort of thought we were supposed to keep that thing,” Anzu said as the five of them left the hospital. “We’ve kept every other thing we’ve collected. What if we need it?”

Jou shrugged. “They need it more than we do now,” he said. “I guess we’re just going to have to get lucky during the next few trials.”

“I think it was a good thing to do,” Yuugi said, smiling in Jou’s direction. He nodded at something over Jou’s shoulder. “Plus, it worked. Look at that.”

A glowing blue portal had opened itself up at the edge of the village. Their entrance to the eighth trial.

“Nice going, Jou,” Honda said, clapping Jonouchi on the shoulder. “Now, as long as nobody gets stabbed again, we can just cruise through the last few trials.”

Yuugi glanced over at Atem, and they exchanged glances. _I’ll take one for the team and get stabbed next time_ , Yuugi said in his head, and Atem rolled his eyes in response. The five of them headed for the portal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being patient! This chapter took a sec to edit, and I kept having to put it off. It might be a couple weeks again until the next one is out, but in the meantime I'd love to hear from you, so drop a comment if you get a chance! <3


	8. Trial Eight: Temple of the Ancients

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all!  
> I'm back from a brief hiatus--I wanted to wait until this story was ready for me to write it, if that makes sense. But worry not, I'll finish it, even if it takes a little while. I've been working on a lot of original fiction stuff lately, so that takes up a lot of my Writing Energy. If you've stuck with this story, thank you for your patience and support <3  
> Drop a comment if you enjoyed!!

“Okay, I’m picturing something. Are you ready?”

“Yes.” Atem focused his gaze on Yuugi’s face. Yuugi’s eyes were closed, as though he was concentrating. The rest of their friends were crowded around, watching intently, waiting. Atem narrowed his eyes at Yuugi’s face, and an image took shape in his mind.

“An apple tree,” Atem said after a moment.

Yuugi’s eyes flickered open. He grinned. “You’re right,” he said.

“That’s insane,” Anzu said, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“That’s _awesome,_ ” Jou said. “You guys have a serious mind-meld going on. It’s like you’re both telepathic.”

“But only with each other,” Yuugi said. “I don’t think I’d want to be able to read everyone else’s minds. I don’t trust whatever goes on in your thoughts, Jou.”

Jou pursed his lips, as though trying to look offended, but he tipped his head to concede the point.

The five of them were sitting together on an empty beach. It was late afternoon, and the sun was just beginning to dip towards the water, painting streaks of gold and red across the sky. There didn’t seem to be anything else nearby, so the five of them had been here for a while, sitting and talking together as they waited for the trial to find them. It was surprisingly relaxing—perhaps after seven trials, the five of them had grown used to the fear and the danger. Or perhaps, they were still reeling with relief over Atem’s miraculous recovery.

Atem and Yuugi had been sitting, facing each other, for the past few minutes, picturing things in their minds that the other then had to read. They’d started talking about the amulet and the way it had healed Atem’s injuries, and that had led into Yuugi mentioning the change in his and Atem’s soul bond.

“Bullshit,” Jou had said immediately, when Yuugi brought it up. “You told me you can’t read each others’ minds. Stop lying.”

Yuugi had taken it upon himself to prove it. Atem didn’t mind—it was oddly entertaining, watching their friends’ eyes go wide with amazement when he and Yuugi read each other’s thoughts. “Believe me now?” Yuugi asked, looking over at Jou expectantly.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Jou said, waving his hand. “I never doubted you in the first place, I just think it’s cool when you do your telepathy thing. Do it again, come on.”

As pleasant as it was to just sit together and relax like this, Atem kept wondering about the trial and when it would reveal itself to them. These trials had been getting progressively more difficult, more dangerous, and more frightening. Now that they were getting close to the end, anything was possible. Anything could be coming their way.

Yuugi seemed to be thinking similar things, although maybe that was just a response to Atem’s worries. They looked at each other while Jonouchi rambled about telepathy, and Yuugi’s smile faltered a little as he caught the worry in Atem’s thoughts. _Why do you think it’s taking so long?_ Yuugi said in his head.

 _I wish I knew_ , Atem responded. _The longer it takes, the more concerned I get._

Yuugi’s brow furrowed. _You think they’re waiting to spring something really bad on us?_

 _Possibly,_ Atem said. _I wish I knew who_ they _are. Now that we’re getting close, I keep thinking about who could be behind this_.

_Do you have theories?_

_Not yet._ Atem sighed out loud, quietly. _I’m sorry, I wish I could be more help. If I had my memories…_

 _That’s not your fault, Pharaoh_. Yuugi half-smiled. _Maybe this has nothing to do with you. Maybe the hieroglyphics are a ruse, and it’s all some massive trick. You know, like that time we were trapped in Noah’s virtual world._

 _That seems unlikely,_ Atem said. _It didn’t feel like an illusion when I was injured._

Yuugi’s smile faded. He lowered his gaze to the sand. _I know_ , he said. _Sorry_.

 _It’s all right, Yuugi_ , Atem said, shaking his head. _Don’t look so guilty. I’m fine now—I was just trying to make a point_.

 _You’re right, though_ , Yuugi said. _This whole thing has gotten a little too real, you know? We might not all make it out of the rest of the trials. I hate the thought of that._

_I know. So do I._

“Pharaoh,” Jou said, “What do you think?”

“Hm?” Atem said, looking over in Jou’s direction. “What do I think of what?”

Jou narrowed his eyes. “Are you two having your weird silent conversations again?” he said. “You know that weirds me out. What secrets are you telling each other?”

“Nothing!” Yuugi said, as if on reflex. His face was turning a little red.

“Yeah, well, I feel left out,” Jou said. “Way to exclude the rest of us. What were you talking about?”

Atem smiled, amused. “I was just starting to think we should be looking around,” he said. “Rather than wait for it to find us. We may be too vulnerable, sitting here.”

“Hey, lighten up!” Honda said. “We might as well relax while we have the chance, right? It’s kind of nice here—sea breeze, warm sun—”

“I think the Pharaoh is right, actually,” Yuugi said. “A lot of these other trials have involved a time limit. What if this one does too, and we just don’t know it?”

“Ugh,” Jou groaned. He began to heave himself to his feet. “Fine. We’ll look around. But all we’re going to find is more beach.”

“Maybe we should look in the trees,” Atem said, nodding his head at the thick jungle that edged the beach. He and the others followed Jou’s lead, until they were all standing. “My guess is that we’ll be forced in there anyway, eventually, so—”

He broke off as a bolt of lightning suddenly sliced through the air in the distance, a few miles away. It crashed into the trees with a _boom_ that seemed to shake the ground around them and electrify the air. A moment later, the entire sky swept itself red, and a sensation like he’d never felt before dropped onto Atem’s body.

It was like the air was caving in on him, like it was pressing in on all sides and weighing him down—as though gravity had tripled in intensity. His friends shouted in pain as though they felt it too, but Atem couldn’t hear much else through the ringing in his ears. It thrummed in his head like the beat of a drum and the heaviness pressed in closer, closer, crushing his limbs and his ribs. His skull throbbed with it, and sparks danced in front of his eyes as he fell, hard, to his knees, the sensation growing and growing, turning everything to pure static. He felt as though the oxygen was being crushed out of his body.

And then, as soon as it had appeared, the sensation vanished. Atem raised his head, breathing hard, and looked around, bewildered. His friends were all on their knees around him; Yuugi’s eyes were squeezed closed and his hands were pressed over his ears as though he was trying to block out the awful sensation. Anzu was very pale, and she looked like she was inches from passing out.

Atem took a moment to catch his breath. The silence seemed to sizzle between them. “Is everyone all right?” he asked once he could speak again.

His friends all nodded unsteadily. They helped each other back to their feet; Atem felt exhausted in the wake of whatever had just happened, like his legs wouldn’t quite support him anymore. His head throbbed with the effort of standing up. “What…” Anzu said, her voice breathless and shaky, “what _was_ that?”

They all looked at each other, lost. “It was horrible,” Yuugi said. “It felt like…like my whole body was filled with rocks. Like my head was about to explode.”

Atem looked out into the jungle. “I think that bolt of lightning might have been telling us where to go next,” he said.

Honda’s eyes went wide. “You want to walk _towards_ the lightning?” he said. “Are you crazy?”

“We don’t have many other options, unfortunately,” Atem said. “We’re going to have to face this trial sooner or later. We might as well get started while we still have plenty of daylight.”

* * *

Navigating the jungle turned out to be more complicated than any of them had anticipated. Without a map or anything to indicate where they were supposed to go, the five of them found themselves getting turned around and wandering in circles. The trees and vines were thick; even with Yuugi’s flame sword to cut through them, it was an unpleasant experience. Jou kept complaining about his clothes getting caught on thorns.

Eventually they had to stop, panting and dehydrated and sweating. The air was damp and swampy, and it seemed to cling to every inch of skin. “We’ll just keep walking forever if we don’t figure out where we’re going,” Yuugi said, sheathing his sword. “None of us know anything about surviving the jungle. We could die of dehydration before we find anything.”

“We don’t have much of a choice,” Jou said, but he looked just as miserable as everyone else, his hair sticking to his forehead and his expression drawn with exhaustion. After so many trials, they were all feeling the effects; it settled, heavy, on top of them like cold water.

“Let’s take a breather,” Atem suggested. “We can stay here, get some rest. We won’t be able to see anything pretty soon anyway, it will be too dark.”

Rest seemed appealing, after a full evening of crashing through thick jungle, so they built a small fire and settled down for the night. Jou and Honda passed out immediately, somehow, snoring on top of a bunch of moss and leaves. Anzu eventually curled up on her side and drifted off, but Yuugi stayed awake, staring at the embers of the fire as they burnt out, knees drawn up to his chest.

Atem settled next to him, leaning back against the rough surface of the tree trunk. “Yuugi, you need to try and rest,” he said, keeping his voice quiet so as not to wake the others.

Yuugi looked over at him. His eyes caught flickers of the firelight, highlighting the worry that still lingered there. “I don’t know if I can,” he said. He glanced over at the others, and a smile pulled at his lips. “I don’t understand how they can just fall asleep like that.”

“Neither do I,” Atem admitted. He tilted his head. “Are you still too worried to rest?”

“I guess.” Yuugi curled his arms more tightly around his knees and rested his chin on top of them. “I just—I feel so… _guilty_.”

Atem frowned. “Why?” he said.

“Pharaoh, our friends keep getting dragged into this sort of thing. It has nothing to do with them, but they’re still in danger just because they happen to be friends with both of us. It’s not fair to them.”

“Yuugi…”

“What if one of them doesn’t make it out of this?” Yuugi continued, his voice rising a little with panic. “If—if that happens, then that’s because of _me_. How am I supposed to live with something like that?”

“Yuugi.” Atem reached over, resting his hand on Yuugi’s knee. “You can’t think like that. Nobody is going to get left behind during these trials, not if either of us can help it.”

Yuugi relaxed fractionally, though the panic stayed in his gaze. “How are you so calm about all of this?” he said.

Atem chuckled. “I’m not,” he said. “I’m just as frightened as you are—you know that, you can sense my emotions.” He shrugged. “But panicking isn’t going to help anyone. We’ve been through worse than this. I spent months thinking I’d let you die, wondering if I’d ever see you again at all. Compared to that, well…”

He trailed off. Yuugi’s gaze softened. “At least here we’re together,” Yuugi finished.

Atem nodded. “Yes,” he said.

Yuugi eventually succumbed to exhaustion like the others, his head drooping onto Atem’s shoulder, his breath evening out. Atem stayed awake, oddly alert, listening to his friends’ breathing and the sounds of the jungle and the faint, far-off crash of waves. He smiled down at Yuugi’s relaxed features, lines of worry and fear smoothed out in sleep. Sometimes, on nights after they’d narrowly escaped danger, Atem would sit on Yuugi’s bed and gaze at him like this while he slept, lingering in the feeling of relief that they were both safe.

After Dartz, he’d found himself doing so nearly every night. He hadn’t even meant to, really. He just felt calmer when he could see Yuugi’s face and feel him nearby. He wondered sometimes if Yuugi knew, if he felt safer like Atem did when they were together. If Yuugi was, in fact, aware of it, he’d never said so.

Atem reached over and rested his hand in Yuugi’s hair, lifting a few damp strands of it away from his forehead. It somehow felt even hotter now that the sun had gone down, and the dehydration was setting in with a vengeance. Atem’s throat felt like it was lined with a layer of sandpaper, and his tongue felt too big for his mouth. The acute discomfort would grow to dangerous levels, he knew, if they took too long wandering through this jungle.

It was still dark, maybe the very early hours of the morning, when another lightning bolt sliced through the air. It crashed into the trees with a deafening, shuddering sound, reverberating through the air and rattling Atem’s teeth. He’d been nearly asleep when it happened, but at the sound of thunder he and everyone else were jolted rudely awake, looking around in bleary, panicked confusion.

“What,” Yuugi rasped, blinking rapidly, “what was—?”

He didn’t get a chance to finish. The sky was already sweeping itself red.

Even though Atem knew it was coming, this time, the sensation of crushing and throbbing and impossible weight wasn’t any less unpleasant. In fact, it seemed more intense this time if anything, pounding like rocks in Atem’s head and squeezing his lungs until he couldn’t breathe at all.

He gritted his teeth against it and forced his eyes to stay open, watching, keeping his gaze fixed on the spot where the lightning had crashed through the trees. It was close, very close. Perhaps it was because they were closer, now, that the sensation of crushing weight was stronger. He shuddered as he considered what it would be like when they got even closer.

Finally, the red sky faded back to black and the feeling of crushing faded. Atem and the others spent a moment catching their breaths, on their hands and knees on the jungle floor, shaking and wincing in pain. “God,” Anzu breathed, pale and wide-eyed. “That was even worse than before.”

“We’re very close to the source of the lightning,” Atem said, pointing out into the trees. “Let’s keep moving. It’s almost light out.”

His friends looked uneasy, but they climbed to their feet and all of them together started through the trees again.

After that last bolt of lightning, Atem found himself feeling exhausted. It was an exhaustion that seemed to pound behind his eyes and against his skull, exhaustion that ached in his limbs. It made him want to curl up on the jungle floor and go back to sleep. The last thing he wanted to do was walk willingly towards a bolt of lightning and something that probably wanted them dead.

The others seemed to be dragging their feet, like they were feeling the exhaustion as well. Yuugi staggered and Atem reached over, catching his arm. “Yuugi?” he said quietly. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Yuugi winced and righted himself. “What is going _on_ here? It’s like my whole body has a headache.”

“I know.” Atem released Yuugi’s arm and started forward again. “There’s something very dark at work here.”

They walked until the sun began to thread over the horizon, and then out of the trees and vines, finally, rose an enormous stone temple. It was crumbling at the edges and carved with intricate lines and symbols, and it was so large that it blotted out the sky. The five of them stood at the front entrance and stared, bewildered, silent, for several long moments.

“There are hieroglyphics above the door,” Yuugi said, pointing. He looked over at Atem. “Can you read them, Pharaoh?”

Atem followed Yuugi’s gaze to the length of stone above the temple entrance. He squinted and reached up to drag his hand over his forehead to wipe away a layer of sweat on his skin. “ _Temple of the Ancients_ ,” Atem read. “ _Survive to the very center and claim your prize. Every moment counts. Do not succumb._ ”

“Do not _succumb?_ ” Honda said, alarmed. “Succumb to _what_?”

“I suppose we’re about to find out,” Atem said.

The inside of the temple was unnerving in a way that Atem hadn’t expected. The weight he’d felt out in the jungle seemed to double in intensity, curling around his body, pressing down against his shoulders. The stone was damp and cool, and it reminded him of the very first stone hallways they’d found themselves in when these trials began. The only difference was that these halls seemed older, like they’d been subjected to centuries of decay and neglect. Moss and vines threaded between misshapen stones and water dripped onto the ground, giving the air the smell of wet dirt and acrid mulch and mildew, an unpleasant combination.

Yuugi stayed close to Atem’s shoulder as they walked, like he was afraid they would get separated if there was too much space between them. The others crowded close behind, their footsteps loud against the walls. It was probably Atem’s imagination, but it felt like the hallway was closing in on them little by little, preparing to swallow them all down.

“Which way?” Honda said when they paused at a set of two identical hallways branching out in different directions.

“There’s no way to tell,” Anzu said. “Maybe it doesn’t make a difference.”

Atem wasn’t sure he agreed. The longer they’d been in here, the more acutely he could feel that dark presence, until it was like it was humming somewhere in his ear or at the back of his mind. He gazed down one hallway and then the other, and could feel a slight, but distinct, difference in the way the presence rang in his ears with each choice.

He looked over at Yuugi and their eyes held briefly, and Atem knew they were thinking the same thing. “The left hall, I think,” Atem said, looking over at the others.

“Huh?” Jou said, staring. “How do you know?”

“I don’t, really,” Atem said. “But I have a feeling.”

“I do, too,” Yuugi said. “I think the Pharaoh’s right.”

Jou shrugged, the confusion fading from his gaze with a rapidity that was almost comical. “Good enough for me,” he said. “Let’s go.”

None of them spoke as they walked, the unease growing the further into the temple they traveled. The temperature seemed to dip, especially when they descended a long, dark staircase. In the resulting silence, the sound of stone scraping against stone, moments after stepping off the long staircase, was explosively loud. It shocked Atem back to attention and he looked up, his body tensing.

“Yuugi, wait—” Atem seized Yuugi’s arm, pulling him back just in time to watch the floor open up in front of him, crumbling down into pure blackness. Yuugi sucked in a shocked breath and gripped Atem’s jacket, eyes blowing wide as saucers. Anzu yelped from behind them as she and the others skidded to a stop.

“Holy...” Jou leaned over to stare down into the dark hole. “Good thing you have quick reflexes, Pharaoh.”

“How’d you know?” Yuugi said. He was still shaken, his face white and his hands trembling a little.

“You stepped on something that triggered a trap, I think,” Atem explained. He released Yuugi’s arm. “Everyone, be careful where you walk. This place isn’t going to make this easy on us.”

The hole that had opened up wasn’t too large to jump across, so they continued on down the hallway, being more careful than before. When the ground rumbled suddenly beneath them, nearly pitching all of them to the ground, Atem thought for a moment they’d triggered another trap door, but that wasn’t the case.

The feeling of crushing heaviness pressed down on them a moment later, and it was worse, so much worse, than before. Perhaps because they were inside the temple now, the feeling was absolutely agonizing, mind-numbing. Atem’s knees hit the ground hard and he closed his eyes tightly against it.

After what felt like a century, the feeling vanished. Atem cracked his eyes open, panting, and his friends were all on the ground, too, curled up against the pain, shaking and gasping. Atem reached over for Yuugi’s arm, squeezing in a wordless question. Yuugi raised his eyes and his expression was exhausted, but he nodded in response, and Atem relaxed a little.

“That was... _so_ much worse than before,” Anzu groaned.

“I hope it means we’re getting close,” Atem said, heaving himself to his feet and reaching out to help Yuugi up as well.

The effects of whatever dark magic was at work became even more apparent as they started forward. Atem barely felt the willpower in him to continue walking, as though the temple was slowly sapping his energy, little by little. The others lagged behind, but Atem picked up the pace a little, hoping that the sooner they found the center the sooner they’d finish this. They came to another fork in the road and Atem didn’t pause this time; the dark energy he was sensing was much stronger now and he could easily tell which direction they needed to go.

A few yards down the next hallway, he paused, sure he’d heard a voice, speaking to him. He paused and blinked several times, looking over his shoulder. There was no one there, of course, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone had been with him, speaking to him, whispering something. The hair at the back of his neck prickled.

A few feet ahead, then, the sound of stone scraping stone recaptured his attention. Someone gasped. “Stop!” Anzu cried. “I think—”

She didn’t get to finish. The trap was already activating itself; from the ceiling came a wall of stone, sliding and scraping its way to the floor between Atem and the others. “No!” Yuugi shouted, lunging himself forward, at the same time Atem moved in the other direction, but neither of them were fast enough. With a shudder and a decisive _thud_ , the wall slid firmly into place.

Atem clenched his teeth, pounding a fist against the stone for good measure. At the other side, muffled but audible, came the sound of a responding thump. “Pharaoh!” Yuugi called. Another thump. “Pharaoh, can you hear me? Are you okay?”

“I’m here, Yuugi,” Atem responded. He sighed and pressed his hand flat against the stone. “I’m fine.”

“I’m so sorry!” Anzu’s voice said, shaking and unsteady. “I didn’t mean to—I didn’t realize it until a second too late—”

“It’s not your fault,” Atem said. They didn’t have time for tearful apologies, not right now. “Listen to me. I'm going to go around, take the secondary path, and hopefully they’ll converge at some point. If you find the center of the temple, don’t enter—wait for me to meet up with you. We don’t know what’s waiting for us at the end of this.”

“Be careful,” Yuugi said, his voice unsteady and frightened. “Please.”

“I will.” In his mind, he added, _Keep yourself safe. We might not be able to hear each other if we get too far apart._

 _I will_ , Yuugi responded _. I promise_.

There was the sound of echoing footsteps. Atem sighed and turned away from the wall, backtracking down the hallway.

* * *

Atem felt like he’d been walking blindly through the hallways of this temple for what felt like hours, and he was starting to wonder if he was just going in circles.

He headed down another staircase, his footsteps resonating along the ceiling. His head pounded as he strained to sense Yuugi’s presence, hoping it would help them reunite. Either they were too far away, or the temple was messing with them, because Atem’s efforts weren’t yielding anything. It frightened him, being unable to feel Yuugi’s soul nearby, like he was walking half-blind.

At the bottom of the stairs, the hallway opened up into a small room. Atem looked around, blinking, frustrated that there didn’t seem to be another exit out of the room. He’d come to a dead end—the only thing in this room, aside from himself, was a small, worn wooden chest against the far wall.

Atem crossed towards it. The lid of the chest was ajar, just slightly, and something silver glinted out at him. There was writing on the top of the chest but it wasn’t anything he recognized, not a modern language or hieroglyphics. Atem shifted the lid, and a cloud of dust emerged from the core of the chest, coughing up towards him.

When the dust cleared, Atem squinted down into the chest and found himself staring at a sleek wooden bow. A sheath of arrows rested beside it, and more of that strange language was carved into its body. Atem hesitated, and then reached in, lifting the bow out of the chest to get a better look at it. The wood was smooth and cool against the palm of his hand, but it seemed to come alive when he touched it, as though it was humming somewhere beneath the surface.

He withdrew the bundle of arrows, and slung them around his shoulder. Keeping both, he straightened, intending to turn back and go back upstairs. Instead, the ground shook beneath him, pitching him to the floor.

When the heaviness pressed down on him this time, he could swear he heard that same whispering voice from before, somewhere behind his ear, low and cold. It was saying words he couldn’t make out, speaking quickly and roughly. The voice vanished before Atem could get a solid hold on it.

He groaned and pushed himself to his feet afterwards. His legs felt like they’d been liquified, like his ribs were breaking one by one. A hallway had opened up out in front of him, at the other side of the staircase. He frowned but headed towards it, back into cold, damp stone. The hallway seemed to be slanting downwards now, the air growing colder and thicker and damper. He shivered as he walked, bracing his hand against the wall occasionally to stop himself from tipping over. Every part of his body was aching.

He was so focused on just putting one foot in front of the other that he didn’t even notice when the wall dropped off. He reached out for the steady support of the stone and instead his fingers groped at air; he pitched forward, his knees hitting the floor hard, and he groaned, wincing in pain.

When the pain faded he registered, for the first time, a low humming sound, the same presence he’d been following all this time. He blinked several times as the feeling permeated his senses, sinking cold heaviness into his nose and mouth and pounding behind his eyes. His muscles ached viciously in response and the hair at the back of his neck stood on end. He’d never sensed anything quite like this, and he was almost afraid to look up and see where it was coming from.

He was kneeling at the edge of an enormous stone room. The first thing he registered, when he raised his eyes, was the figures of his four friends, lying motionless on the ground in front of him. Atem’s eyes widened in horror and his mouth went dry; he tried to push himself up to rush towards them, but something at the far end of the room stopped him.

He stared, unsure for a moment what he was looking at. At first he thought it was just a bright light, colored dark red and edged with pure black. Then he realized the light was coming from something else, a huge dark red crystal perched on top of a stone pedestal. Encased inside the crystal was a figure, bone-white and long-fingered, its face stretched too thin for comprehension, its eyes like black holes etched into its face. Everything about it was wrong and horrible and Atem wanted to curl away in pure revulsion, but his friends were still lying motionless in front of him and Atem’s fear for them won out.

He pushed himself, with effort, to his feet, and made straight for Yuugi, kneeling at his side. “Yuugi,” he said, breathless, reaching for his friend’s face with both hands. Yuugi’s eyes were closed and his skin was pale and cold, and for a moment Atem believed the absolute worst. But Atem could still sense Yuugi’s spirit burning inside his body, and Yuugi stirred when Atem tapped him on the cheek.

“Pharaoh,” Yuugi croaked. His gaze was bleary and dim, and it looked like it was taking every ounce of his strength to speak.

“I’m here.” Atem pressed his fingertips to Yuugi’s throat, relieved to feel his pulse thrumming beneath the skin. “Yuugi, what happened?”

Yuugi shuddered. He closed his eyes briefly. “Not...strong enough,” he rasped. “That... _thing_. It’s been feeding on us. This whole time. Couldn’t fight back.” His eyes cracked open again and his gaze was brighter than before, more fierce. “Pharaoh. You have to stop it.”

Atem tore his gaze from Yuugi’s to look back at the creature encased in red crystal. Something vibrated in his ear, louder than before. It sounded like laughter.

 _Welcome, Pharaoh,_ a voice said. It reverberated, somehow, from the walls itself, like it was coming from the spaces in between the misshapen stones. _Your friends have nearly succumbed to my power. In a few moments, their strength will be my strength, and they will be mere shells of themselves._

Atem stood. He faced the red crystal. “Why are you doing this?” he said. “What are you?”

 _I am from a time before your people, Pharaoh_ , the creature said. _I am older than the gods themselves, and I will outlive your world. I am beyond your comprehension._

“You claim to be older and more powerful than anything we’ve seen before,” Atem said. “Yet you need to feed on the souls of the innocent to survive?”

 _Not survive_ , the creature said. _I was locked away to waste away for centuries. With each new soul I devour, I regain my strength. Your soul, Pharaoh, will return me to what I once was._

Atem tensed. He gripped the body of the bow he was holding. The laughter echoed along the back of his neck again, making him shudder.

 _It is useless to try and resist_ , the creature said. _I know of the weapon you have in your possession. You are not strong enough to use it, not after I have been eating away at your soul for so long. That weapon requires a soul of true strength to use it. Yours is frayed, depleted, a thin façade of what it once was. Accept it, and allow yourself to succumb with your friends._

The ground rumbled. Atem sucked in a sharp breath and he collapsed to his knees as heaviness pressed in on his limbs. He groaned and clenched his teeth.

 _With every moment that passes, I grow more powerful,_ the creature said. _If you were to give in, Pharaoh, we could become one soul, combine our power. When I am revived, I could ravage the world, destroy it and rebuild from scratch in my own image. No more pain or suffering or fear. We will create something better._

The creature’s voice was like velvet, coating Atem’s eardrums with honey, warming the inside of his chest with something hopeful. After all the pain and the exhaustion, Atem wanted to cling to that feeling. He wanted this to be over.

 _You are fighting for nothing,_ the voice continued, soft and warm. _Your friends are already gone, and they no longer have any use for you. It will be so much easier to simply let yourself fall. Don’t you just want this to be over?_

Atem found himself getting to his feet. His hand was still gripped around the body of his bow, but it hung loosely at his side. Vaguely, these words felt familiar. An image flickered through his mind—a bright green light, his hand hovering over his deck of cards, a voice encouraging him to _just give up, it’s your fate_ —but Atem kicked it away. This voice was so warm, so inviting. His friends were gone, and Atem just wanted to join them. He wanted all of this pain to go away.

His bow dropped to the stone, clattering with the impact.

 _Yes_ , the voice whispered, triumphant. _Give to me your soul, Pharaoh. Let us rise together. Come to me_.

Atem stepped forward, once, again. His mind filled itself with snow and he let it, his hearing buzzing away and his vision only filling with red. He stepped toward outstretched, elongated hands.

A voice yelled something, then. A hand shoved at his shoulder, hard, throwing him to the ground, and a figure raced past him. A hand plunged a white-hot, flaming dagger into the center of the red crystal.

A shrieking sound filled the room. It was horrible, like metal grating on metal, and it snapped Atem harshly out of the daze he’d been trapped in. The ground shook beneath the sound and Atem fought the urge to cover his ears, instead looking around in confusion until he caught sight of Yuugi, staggering backwards away from the red crystal, his face contorted in pain but his jaw set in determination. His flaming knife was buried deep in the center of the crystal, right where the creature’s heart would be.

“Yuugi?” Atem said, voice hoarse and astonished.

Yuugi stumbled over to him, snatching Atem’s bow off the ground along the way. He collapsed in front of Atem and reached out, pressing the bow into Atem’s hands. Yuugi’s breathing was labored and his hands shook, but he smiled. “Go,” Yuugi said. “Finish it. You have to be the one to do it.”

Atem blinked at him. He curled his hand around the bow and Yuugi squeezed his other hand, fingers gripping hard. His skin was cold but that touch seemed to fortify Atem in a way he hadn’t felt earlier, clearing the rest of the snow from his mind. The exhaustion dissipated momentarily and he gripped harder at the bow, filled with new determination.

Yuugi’s eyes slid closed. He slumped forward and Atem gasped, catching him, cradling Yuugi’s body against his chest. “ _Yuugi_!”

Yuugi’s expression had gone slack, his breathing thin and labored. His soul flickered, clinging to life, a flame ready to go out. Terror rippled through Atem’s body and he clutched Yuugi more tightly, as though that would keep his flame from sputtering out.

Atem closed his eyes briefly, his jaw clenched tightly shut. He settled Yuugi on the ground and then pushed himself to his feet, taking the bow with him.

The floor was still rumbling, and it tried to pitch Atem to the ground once he was on his feet. He planted himself firmly, refusing to let it unseat him, and drew an arrow, nocking it in the bow. He drew it back, pointing it at the center of the red crystal, an inch above where Yuugi had stuck his knife.

A screaming sound echoed in his head, inhuman, wild. _YOU WILL NOT KILL ME_ , the voice said, its voice twisted and mangled. _YOU ARE NOT POWERFUL ENOUGH. YOU ARE NOTHING._

Atem narrowed his eyes. He aimed, exhaled, and let the arrow fly.

* * *

Yuugi raised his head and looked around tentatively, blinking. After a blinding flash of light and a horrible, agonizing wail, he’d been worried briefly that the temple was going to collapse around them and bury them. Instead, he and his friends were sitting on cool ground, still surrounded by stone.

The stones were different, now. Too uniform, settled in neat rows. Yuugi recognized this hallway. They were back in the circular stone room where they’d started, except now there were only two doors set into the wall.

The others had woken and were looking around in bemusement. Atem was standing facing away from them, gazing at the two remaining doors with the bow still gripped in one hand. Yuugi pushed himself up onto his knees. “Pharaoh?” he said.

Atem looked over at him. He stepped over and reached out a hand to help Yuugi up. “Are you all right?” he asked.

Yuugi nodded, letting Atem pull him to his feet. He felt fantastic, actually, like all of the energy had suddenly surged back into his body. He felt like he could take on an entire football team without batting an eyelid. “I’m fine,” Yuugi said. “What happened?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” Atem said, looking over at the others, who were climbing to their feet. “Is anyone hurt?”

“Nothing but my pride,” Honda said, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Man, I don’t remember anything after walking into the room with that red light. I thought we were dead for a second.”

“I thought so, too,” Yuugi said. He looked down at the bow gripped in Atem’s hand. “Where did you get that?”

“It was in the temple,” Atem said, holding it up for Yuugi to inspect. “There was no writing nearby it, but I assumed we were meant to use it to finish the trial. I suppose my instinct was correct.”

“I thought I remembered hearing your voice,” Jou said. “I thought I was imagining it. Looks like you saved our butts, Pharaoh.”

Atem shook his head. “It wasn’t me, really,” he said. “You should be thanking Yuugi.”

Yuugi blinked at him, confused. “Me?”

Atem turned in his direction. He smiled, but it was tight, forced. “You weakened that creature—whatever it was—with your knife, and stopped me from succumbing to him. Besides...” Atem glanced down at the bow he was holding. “I think we were meant to use this together somehow. That thing, it said something about requiring a powerful soul to use it. Our separated souls, perhaps, was not strong enough. We needed to work together.”

Yuugi stared, processing this information. Atem didn’t seem to be aware, turning back to the two remaining doors in the wall. “We’re close to the end,” he said. “Only two trials left.”

The others nodded. “We can do this,” Honda said bracingly. “We’ve come this far.”

 _And we almost didn’t make it_ , Yuugi wanted to say, but he stayed silent. The last few trials left him more and more shaken with each one they cleared, in a way he couldn’t even really express aloud. It felt like they were just barely skating past death, over and over, and he worried that they wouldn’t all make it past this next trial together.

He jumped when one of the two doors creaked itself open. A long, dark hallway revealed itself to it.

“Well,” Jou said, cracking his knuckles, “no time like the present, right? I’m ready to go home and sleep in my own bed for eighteen hours.”

Atem smiled briefly, a tight smile again. He glanced at Yuugi and quickly registered the worry in his thoughts, and his brow furrowed. _Are you all right?_ he asked

Yuugi chewed on his lower lip for a second. He nodded. _I just want this to be over_ , he said.

Atem’s thoughts jumped sharply for a moment and the words the creature in the temple had spoken echoed around in the space between them— _don't you want all this to just be over?_ — and Yuugi winced. Atem just smiled again, however.

 _I know_ , Atem said. _We’re so close to the end. I can feel it._

Yuugi nodded. He took a deep breath, and headed for the second-to-last door, Atem right behind him.


End file.
